Gift of Pein
by Yuna Yami Mouto
Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed inevitable death and what are the consequences?
1. Chapter 1

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed inevitable death and what are the consequences?**

Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. They see him as family, even if they never told the young Uchiha as much. And unknown to most, it wasn't in a sibling fashion, either.

Ever since a thirteen year old Uchiha Itachi had stepped into their hideout eight years ago, both Uzumaki Nagato and his best friend, partner and girlfriend, Konan, took an instant liking to the child and were utterly horrified about all the blood coating the genius. Konan had taken the boy by his thin wrists and all but dragged him to the nearest bath, stripped him of his clothing and washed him off as though he were a mere toddler, Itachi too stunned and too exhausted to do anything against it. The only female in the Akatsuki relaxed when she realized that the prodigy was drenched in not his own blood, but his clansmen's but Itachi's blank state still worried her. Nagato, or more commonly known as Pein, too worried about how apathetic the youngest ANBU in history was being with everything that had happened. So the first bout of fussing over the new member began.

Within the first week of Itachi's stay with the organization, the current members quickly realized the kid was getting special treatment. Every time he returned from a mission, Konan would personally take off his too big cloak and check him over before allowing him to report to Nagato if he was uninjured. The checks, they soon realized, were not needed as Itachi _never_ got injured. His first partner, Biwa Juzo, could testify to just how amazing the kid's skills were that no one ever even came close to _grazing_ him, let alone hurting the boy. Pein made sure to take Itachi with him everywhere he went, having seen the way some of his employees were looking at the frail seeming Uchiha. Orochimaru's eyes on the boy certainly unsettled him the most, so he kept Itachi close until the genius actually _dispatched_ one of the members when they tried to kill him when drunk one night. He had done it with a single glance from his dangerous eyes and the man had crumbled to the ground, dead in an instant. Konan and Nagato grew in confidence of Itachi's safety as the members began fearing Itachi's unique doujutsu, the ever deadly Tsukuyomi, and so they gave him more room to breathe and explore. He still had his own room, closest to their shared room. He still got an extra serving of whatever they had for dinner. Konan still bought his dango every day and Pein still kept a sharp eye on him.

He was a great asset, everyone knew. He was one of the last Uchiha, the last to currently possess their incredible visual powers. People were going to try and take him, kill him, use him. The members of the organization knew this and they attributed these facts to the reason their leaders were valuing and protecting the Uchiha so much. Rumors traveled far and wide for many decades that an Uchiha can control a biju or a Jinchuuriki. That they can practically read minds and brainwash people. The Akatsuki used these facts to excuse Pein's and Konan's actions. The members of the organization who were of that opinion mostly died with such beliefs.

The new group had seen the truth almost instantly. Although there was only a fourteen year age gape between Konan, Pein and Itachi, the two founders of the organization _definitely_ saw Itachi as family, as their _child_. The first time Itachi had been in any trouble, which just so happened to be with the Yondaime Mizukage, the Sanbi Jinchuuriki, on the day Juzo died, Konan had nearly had a heart attack when they heard just what had happened and how close Itachi himself had been to death. Later, after Itachi prevented Orochimaru from stealing his body to use it as his own new vessel and chasing the Sannin away, Pein swore he will break every bone in Orochimaru's body with his very hands. Sasori and Kakuzu had watched on with interest while Tobi ('Madara'/Obito) had frowned behind his mask as he realized the two's connection with the young prodigy might present a problem. So he convinced Pein to assign Hoshigaki Kisame as Itachi's new partner. The Mist ninja was loyal to the bone and hated liars. Itachi's very existance as an Akatsuki member was nothing more but a lie, one he readily told each day, and his loyalty was only to Konoha and his younger brother. Tobi had assigned him to Itachi for the sole purpose of Kisame hopefully finding out that Itachi wasn't loyal to Akatsuki and killing him in retribution.

Instead, the big lug had went and fallen in love with him, only succeeding in making Pein and Konan more overprotective of the weasel. They were truly acting like the boy's parents and it pissed him off.

Itachi remained unbeatable for years, never once losing or getting injured on any of his missions. Pein and Konan relaxed, thinking that Itachi would always remain safe. They had a plan to deal with Sasuke, to tell him how Konoha had treated his older brother, to turn both Uchihas to their side ... Obito liked that idea. Sasuke carried almost the same potential as Itachi did and he even had greater chakra reserves! The boy had been obsessed with his older brother his whole life. If he learned of Itachi's suffering ... his rage would be glorious. So Pein and Konan relaxed. They knew, without a doubt, that Itachi will not let anyone kill him until he fought his baby brother one last time. They thought their greatest worry now was Kisame breaking the Uchiha's heart, no matter how irreversibly the blue man was smitten with the weasel. They all thought Itachi would far outlive them all, despite Hidan being immortal (they were pretty sure Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi could kill him) and Kakuzu having five hearts he can replace at any time and Sasori being a puppet. It didn't matter that he was slowly going blind; his eyes weren't his only weapon.

Itachi was untouchable.

Itachi was _invincible_.

And then he fell down with a deadly, terminal disease and their world fell apart.

They watched him for _years_ as he struggled with it. He should have died a long time ago but his willpower stubbornly left him with the living. Pein and Konan started wishing he'd just die in his sleep already so that he would no longer be in pain. He never did. Itachi clung to life like a drowning man to the hope of salvation, just so he would run off to die at the age of twenty one, when Pein was defeated by Naruto and dead and when Konan tried taking Itachi back from Tobi's metaphorical clutches. Obito figured if Itachi was going to die anyway, he will martyr him to the point of him being a saint. He will fuel Sasuke's hatred and then they would destroy Konoha once and for all and rule the world.

Kisame couldn't stop his death, as his lover forbade him to.

Konan was too far away and dead even if she wanted to.

Nagato ...

Nagato had known it was going to come to this. Nagato had _known_ Itachi will be in danger of disappearing just like that.

Itachi was precious. He wanted peace and hated war. He was humble. He was ready to sacrifice himself for those he cared for. Itachi was smart and wise. He was strong. He was just. He knew true pain and suffering and he still stayed true to himself. He was kind and caring. He was one of a kind, _exceptional_. He was truly too precious to end like that. The world _needed_ someone like Uchiha Itachi to guide them towards peace. He and the genius might not agree on how that peace must be achieved but they had the same goal, ultimately. Pein knew he deserved to die. Akatsuki was not an innocent organization. Itachi didn't really belong there. He might be the strongest member to ever join - yes, perhaps truly stronger than even Nagato himself and his Rinnegan - but it was not his place to be there. Itachi was special and he needed to be preserved.

Pein knew Itachi won't let anyone save him, not even Kisame.

Pein knew that even if he _did_ allow it, his illness will kill him.

Pein knew nothing can keep Itachi from dying.

But Pein also knew that there was nothing _keeping_ the young man dead.

All he needed was a contingency.

A contingency the likes of which only Uzumaki Nagato could set.

00000

Tobi looked from Uchiha Sasuke to Hoshigaki Kisame as the two stared each other down, the older man glaring death at his deceased partner's younger brother and Sasuke returning the glare tenfold in true Uchiha manner, despite his eyes turning fainter and fainter each day. The tension in the hallway right in front of the infirmary was so palpable that Samehada would cut through it like a knife through butter had Kisame not been clutching said legendary sword like a lifeline so he wouldn't be tempted to take a deadly swing at Sasuke.

Tobi wanted to sneer at them.

It was comical, really, how much younger brother and lover could hate each other. Sasuke hated Kisame on principal even before he found out he and Itachi had been together. Kisame was the person who had Itachi's full trust for eight years, the last person alive who knew all of his secrets. And he ain't sharing with the youngest Uchiha. That pissed the teen off. Kisame, on the other hand, hated Sasuke since the day he finally accepted Itachi as a worthy partner and his hate for his partner's younger brother only grew with the years. The closer he got to Itachi, the more he hated his prick of a little brother. It grew and grew until it finally culminated on this day, with a single request Sasuke had given to Tobi.

Sasuke was going blind and he wanted Itachi's eyes.

Kisame was putting his foot down to that.

"He deserves some respect for all his sacrifices!" The shark had snapped, bearing his teeth at the teen in unadulterated rage. "You don't deserve his eyes! No matter how much he would have wanted you to have them!"

"This is an Uchiha Clan matter," Sasuke had coldly replied, growling at the taller man. "Don't butt in! It's none of your fucking business!"

"Itachi-san sacrificed his _whole life_ for this!" Kisame roared. "I watched him waste away so you little fucker could get your petty revenge! I watched him lose his _light_ for years! I held him as his body and his sight failed him! It _is_ as much my _fucking business_ as it is yours! Maybe even more!"

"He's my brother!" The Uchiha snapped and Kisame growled like a barely restrained animal.

"I LOVED HIM!" The Kiri ninja yelled, startling both Uchihas and anyone who was on base at that time. "I'd give my life for him! If I could bring him back, I'd fucking do _anything_ for it!"

Sasuke and Obito both gaped at him as though he had grown a second head. Kisame was panting like a mad man, like he had ran a marathon and not just yelled loud enough to shake the base. Either way, there was no doubt in any of their minds that _everyone_ had heard him. And he didn't look ashamed or embarrassed by his outburst at all.

Finally, Tobi stepped in between them, set on calming things down and finishing with it all. He had agreed to give Sasuke Itachi's eyes so that the boy could destroy Konoha for him. He wasn't going to let a grieving lover stand in his way.

"That's enough. Kisame," he looked through the single eye hole on his mask at the taller man. "Itachi is dead. He wanted Sasuke to have his eyes. There's nothing you can do for him now."

The blue man looked between depleting and raging on. He obviously didn't like the idea of facing a reality with his lover gone. Not yet. Maybe not ever. "I can show him respect by not letting you little shitheads to desecrate his body!"

"So what? You're going to bury him? Let his power go to waste?" The older Uchiha questioned, crossing his arms and regarding the blue man coolly. "Let him _rot_?" Sasuke flinched at this and Kisame let out a growl again but before anyone could say or do anything, there was a crash inside the infirmary.

The three men whirled around and rushed into the room, drawing their weapons and preparing for anything. They expected enemy ninja, maybe some beast, even a _rat_ who had crashed a jar or something. They certainly weren't expecting to see a ginger man with a handsome if pierced face, long hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed in an Akatsuki cloak and purple, Rinnegan eyes staring down at the body of Uchiha Itachi. Their jaws dropped at the sight of a living, orange haired, purple eyed version of the genius with said genius being cradled like a small child in the strange version's arms.

Kisame and Tobi recognized the form, even if never seen before with this face, instantly.

"L-Leader-sama?" The confused Kisame asked incredulously, eying his lover's cold body and feeling something clench in his chest. Itachi looked so small in death. So young. Yet there was a slight smile pulling on his lips that made him look content. The Mist shinobi still couldn't look away from that dear face, no matter how much it hurt. He feared it might be the last time he saw it.

"Nagato." Tobi greeted coolly, studying the new form the ginger had taken and the body in his arms. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Give my brother back!" Sasuke hissed, his eyes quickly bleeding into the Sharingan and then even into the Mangekyo Sharingan. Purple eyes regarded them coolly.

"I am taking Uchiha Itachi away." The last part of Nagato stated, bringing Itachi's body closer to his chest. "You do not deserve him. You are not _worthy_ of him."

"Leader-sama!" Kisame called out as Pein's final body took off Itachi's red Akatsuki ring and threw it away so they can't be tracked. "What will you do with him!?" The panicked blue skinned man demanded, moving towards the two Itachis. The fake one thrust his palm out, preventing him from coming any closer. "Leader-sama!"

"I will show him the respect he deserves." He informed them just as coolly as before. He was like a block of ice. There was no life in those eyes. There was no light there at all. This was not Nagato. This was a messenger left to fulfill one final task. "I will not let you have his body."

"Return my brother to me!" Sasuke ordered again, lunging towards the orange haired version of his brother. He activated his Susanoo skeleton and tried to snatch them up with one bony chakra apparition arm but the other dodged. He would have continued attacking but Kisame tackled him to the ground, using the Samehada to swipe at Tobi. The older Uchiha cursed as he turned intangible and went through the wall, knowing that the Samehada would still suck out chakra from him if it 'touched' him. Kisame turned back to Sasuke and allowed the Samehada to such chakra out of the youngest Uchiha, looking ferally at the thing holding his late partner.

"Go! Get Itachi-san out of here!" The ginger only nodded to him, tightened his grip on the downed Uchiha and vanished as though he had never been there to begin with. But not before he whispered a cryptic message for Kisame to hear.

"You shall see him again where the waters of time meet the pillars of life and death, where the wind of destiny rustles the leaves of fate, where stone stairs lead to the red gates of either heaven or hell. Greet him into the world not like a shark, but like a savior." And then he was gone. Gone without a trace.

Kisame started choking when a chain suddenly wrapped around his neck, Tobi tugging harsh enough to snap his neck. The blue man fell to the floor, all light gone from his eyes and water gushing out of his mouth. The masked man cursed when the Mizu Bunshin burst, drenching Sasuke to the bone as the boy tried to get his orientation back from the sudden chakra depletion.

"Zetsu! Get Kisame! I don't give a fuck if it's dead or alive!" The orange masked individual yelled down into the halls but it was too late. Kisame was already long gone from the base, having escaped as soon as Tobi had moved to strike him. He was now running at top speed away from the base, knowing that if he stopped or slowed down he was as good as dead. Tobi won't let him get away with this betrayal.

But he didn't care. Itachi had given him the most eventful, greatest eight years of his life with just a few small smiles from the Uchiha. Fuck Madara and Tobi and Akatsuki and everything! Fuck war and being a shinobi.

In life or in death, Kisame respected and was loyal to Itachi above all else.


	2. Chapter 2

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

The first thing Itachi registered was darkness. Even before he could try to open his eyes, even before he could ponder on why he wasn't feeling the usual, constant pain he'd grown accustomed to in the past few years of his life, he saw darkness. Not the same darkness that came from his near blindness. Not the darkness of night as he either cuddled up in Kisame's strong arms or as they fought enemies. It was a different darkness.

And Itachi felt ... nothing.

It was as though he was in a void, in vacuum with a lack of noise, of feeling, of sensation, of memories. He was floating around, weightless and without substance or matter to give him some mass. There was no one around him. There was nothing around him. Just ... just darkness.

Not for the first time in his life, Uchiha Itachi was truly alone.

He was surprised that he could still think. His thoughts were still present. His beliefs. His morals ... His memories ... Oh, how precious they were as they washed over him. His mother's kind eyes, his father's rare, proud smile, his little brother's grinning face, the warmth of Shisui's hugs ... So much blood. The memory caused a shudder and a cold feeling settled in him. That was the first feeling Itachi felt since he came to awareness in this void.

Then his memories shifted focus. He no longer saw his family. He didn't even see other Konoha shinobi that had become great parts of his life, such as Kakashi-san and Tenzou-san. He didn't see other ANBU or the hidden ROOT agents only he knew were still active. He didn't see Danzo or the Hokage. No, the first thing he saw with the shift was a tall blue man with sharp teeth and shark like features. A strange warmth filled him at the image of this man.

He saw others, too. A tall ginger haired man with a bit too many piercings to be considered normal. A woman with soft, short purple hair. Two pairs of warm eyes - purple and honey colored - watched him, two pairs of protective arms guided or led him, protecting him. Itachi felt ... safe with these people. He couldn't recognize them, but the third feeling he felt was safety.

Little by little, other images entered his mind. He saw a blond about his age, always screaming that he'd beat him, a bored redhead by his side who would always nod at him respectfully. He heard the complaining of a silver haired man yelling at a tall, zombie looking brunet, scythe in hand and treads at the ready. He saw a plant man and an annoying person with an orange mask. They all seemed ... familiar. But they didn't feel safe. He saw flashes of another tall brunet, a big sword slung over a strong shoulder and a somewhat friendly grin with sharp teeth ... He felt pain when he thought of him. Actually, every single one of these people caused him pain. He had lost them all.

He saw the blue man again, in a clear memory this time. They were fighting. The blue man was trying to get him not to go somewhere. Itachi wondered what that was about. He seemed desperate but he could not win against him. Itachi was too strong for him. It was an expected result, from the looks of it. The blue man seemed resigned.

And then he saw it, a battle, his little brother all grown up and glaring at him with rage and hatred. It all came back to him, the memories, the sensations and feelings. It was overwhelming, at first. And then his power started coming back, too, his chakra and his life filling up the void with light, revealing countless other memories. He saw scrolls and scripts and books and weapons and hands and faces and pictures of places ... He saw each tear drop and heard each dripping of blood. He felt each wound, inflicted upon him and by him. The faces now had names. His family, his friends, his comrades. His _brother_ and his _lover_. His skills and his powers, his knowledge and his studies and trainings and practices ... just ... everything.

Inside this black void, Uchiha Itachi was being reborn. Inside this void, he shed his tears at his loses. And inside this void, a new sliver of light and of hope came to cling to the prodigy of the Uchiha Clan.

And then the void was gone and Itachi was taking choking breaths, his heart speeding and his mind fuzzy, blood pounding in his ears and his body numb. All at once, the numbness was gone and Itachi felt every second of his death coming back to show how much damage it had caused. The pain was so intense that Itachi couldn't hold back a whimper.

One of the familiar hands suddenly appeared in his hair, playing and petting it, soothing him. But the hand was cold as ice and that sensation finally had Itachi opening his eyes to the real world. It was all very blurry at first, a side effect he now clearly remembered after he overused his Sharingan. The blurry reality was much better than the darkness was. What had Itachi pausing, though, was that there _was_ something other than darkness. He knew he should be dead. He doubted he'd go to heaven after everything that he has done and this felt too nice to be hell.

The motions of the cold but familiar hand were as familiar as the hand itself and no doubt its owner. But something was amiss. Itachi knew this hand. How could he not, when it is his own? He could perfectly well imagine it, his hand, pale and petite with long, dainty fingers and painted fingernails, fingers so skilled that they could kill you with a single touch. They could torment you with a single twitch. But it _wasn't_ his hand. For one, this hand was forcing chakra into him, Itachi knew. He could feel it. He could _see_ it. He may be blind but his Sharingan was still as sharp as ever. It saw everything. And it can now see enormous amounts of chakra and life energy being forced in his body. And the feel of the chakra was familiar but ... It couldn't be, right?

Itachi forced his eyes to focus and, to his further bafflement, they did, presenting him with a perfectly clear picture overhead of himself, with orange hair, piercings and glowing Rinnegan eyes. Itachi's own eyes widened and he scrambled to sit up, not believing that it could be true, that Nagato-kun was alive-

"Itachi, you must rest," the other Itachi droned and pushed the revived Uchiha back to the ground just as Itachi started coughing. Much to his surprise, it didn't feel like during his illness. It felt as though he had just choked on air, not as though he was dying. When he calmed down from his coughing fit, he looked back up at Pein's version of himself.

"Am I dead, Leader-sama?"

The other Itachi cracked a smile that didn't belong on his face, but on Nagato's. "What did I say about addressing me as such when no one is around?"

Itachi sighed, moving closer to the other, seeking him for reassurance, company and even safety. He felt awfully vulnerable right now and the Uzumaki had always went out of his way to protect him in the past. Both he and Konan had always cared for him as though...

The Uchiha felt a pang in his heart.

As though he were their _child_. Pein had been a better surrogate father to him than Fugaku ever could. Sure, Itachi absolutely loved his father and mother but they had wanted him to grow up far too fast. Konan and Pein had done it their all to spoil him a little with his favorite reading material and dango every other day if not _every_ day. While he was the genius of his clan and of his village, at only thirteen, he had already forgotten what it meant to be a child. What it meant to be _young_ at all. Nagato and Konan were so protective of him when he arrived that he had been confused and startled. He was actually being treated like a _child_. They weren't expecting who knows what of him.

He had not known such ease since he was but a mere babe. Already at four he has seen war and taken a life. He had seen tragedy at six. He had watched murder in cold blood at eight. Responsibility no child should have had been pilling up on his shoulders ever since. At ten, his talents were finally fully acknowledged and it lead to him becoming an ANBU at the age of eleven, the youngest ANBU in history. Then he had to spy on his own clan and family in order to keep peace. The missions he did would leave most grown, strong men, trained ninja with years of experience, with nightmares to last them a lifetime. And whatever was left of his childhood was murdered when he was thirteen, along with his family, the entire clan of more than two hundred people in a single night. After that, there was no such thing as peace for him. Not when his little brother hated him, his own beloved village hunted him and he was in an organization where almost everyone wanted to be rid of him and his eyes. The only times he was t ease was when he was sleeping in Kisame's arms and now that he's dead ... He won't have even that.

''And you are not dead, Itachi.'' He looked up at his leader at that, blinking in confusion. Yes, Itachi was pretty sure he was dead. He had felt his sickness finally taking him. He had stayed alive all of this years only due to his chakra control. He used his chakra to continually stimulate his cells all over his body to work, but after exerting so much power in his fight against Sasuke, going so far as to even use the Susanoo ... Well, he had no more chakra left and he had not been able to keep them alive anymore. He had felt each and every one of his organs giving out, each and every one of his cells finally dying. It was a painful death, one Itachi figured he deserved for all of his crimes. But he also felt that he had robbed Sasuke of that one final blow the boy had been dreaming of. Itachi wasn't supposed to seem like a martyr to the boy. He knew what he had done, knew how horrible it was and he knew what sort of punishment he deserved. But he will be damned if anyone other than his brother handed him that punishment. Yet he knew his illness had did him in.

''I'm pretty sure I am. I felt it. And I am seeing you now.'' The raven replied groggily. ''You died before me. Although, I am rather flattered you have made one of your Paths look like me.''

He half expect a snort as a response but he knew the Paths had no emotions, could not show them. But if this was rally just one of his Paths and not Nagato himself ...

''I knew it would happen eventually, Itachi. I knew someone would kill me or I would die on my own. I knew you'd outlive me, since you have yet to fight that brat of a brother of yours.''

''Sasuke's not a brat.'' Itachi weakly argued despite feeling his own lips twitching up in amusement as he knew Sasuke really was a brat. He was just being a doting older brother and defending him on principal or something. Itachi was never one to lie, not counting the fake story he made up for the world to believe regarding his own actions. He didn't need to justify himself to them or did he plan to. He knew what he did and why he did it. No one else needed to know. If Kisame and a couple of others just so happened to know the truth as well, well, that was non consequential.

''You keep telling yourself that,'' was the dry reply. Yet the voice sounded fainter now, as if fading away. Itachi's eyes widened when he realized the Path was starting to disintegrate right before his eyes, as though a gust of wind could blow it away and a slight panic gripped him. It might not be Nagato, but it was still a part of his friend that he would very much like to cling on to. Pein waved off his worries and the smile came back. Itachi wondered how much this Path that resembled himself could actually do that only Yahiko's body had been able to do before. ''I knew you would let him kill you, Itachi, but I couldn't let that happen. You are far too precious to this world. There is no one like you. The world needs someone like you.''

''Nagato-kun-''

But the Path shook his head, long tresses wiping around in the wind and with the movement. He knew this body would die soon so he needed to impart the left over power into the Uchiha in order for the young man to survive. It's what he had been created for by Nagato. When he finishes this, there will be no more Pein in this world. "This is final, Itachi. This is my final deed in this world. Let me give you life."

"I don't deserve it!" Itachi protested vehemently. "I'm a murderer, a clan killer! I killed _my own parents_! I _tortured_ my brother!"

"I am aware," the Rinnegan wielder replied, his body becoming darker and darker, resembling earth more and more with each ounce of chakra he pushed into the Uchiha. Losing his temper, the weasel tried to push him away but even in its weakened state, the Path was still stronger than the just revived raven haired man. "As I am aware of why you did it."

"I sold out the Akatsuki secrets a thousand times to Konoha!" Itachi yelled desperately, tears threatening to spill as more and more of the other's body dried up and fell apart. It couldn't even properly hold him anymore but the raven was heavily leaning on what remained of the body. "I am a traitor! I am not to be trusted! I don't _deserve_ to live!"

Pein just smiled and Itachi wondered if this smile on his copy's face is what made people so fond of him in his earlier years. Even with the Rinnegan, it made him look gentle and warm. "I know all of this, but I am still going to save you. Because _you_ are the only one who can bring about peace, Itachi. _True peace_." With the last bit of strength the Path's body had, the ginger lifted its hand to pat Itachi on the head. "And that is why I am giving you this one last gift. Perhaps it is the only one that will matter in the end."

Tears of both salty water and red blood gathered at the corners of Konoha's unknown, secret protector. "You have given me much, much more than you may think. The love and warmth I felt around you and Konan-san .. Thank you, Nagato-kun, for letting me be a child every once in a while. Thank you for caring for me and taking care of me. For giving me a place to belong. _Thank you_."

A truly brilliant smile stretched across Pein's face and, as thunder rolled across slowly gathering clouds, he leaned down and kissed Itachi's forehead as though he were truly the son he never got to have. "Thank _you_ for letting Konan and me be parents for a while. Take care of yourself," his voice was practically a whisper and Itachi hid his face in the Path's neck. "Live a happy life ... Itachi."

When lightning flashed across the sky, the last burst of power was transfered from Pein to Itachi and the Path's body crumbled like earth, the water of the rain and the wind quickly carrying it away as though nothing had ever been there. Itachi stared ahead of himself for a long moment as it began to drizzle and didn't even move when it turned into puring rain. A tear of blood ran down both his cheeks and he reached up a hand to touch under his right eye. He pulled it away and stared at his crimson fingers ...

The Uchiha put his hand down when exhaustion overtook him. Instead, he used the remainder of his energy to look up at the sky. There was no one close enough to him to tell you if they saw him cry.

But all he did was smile sadly at the sky, his bloody tears still cascading down his pale cheeks, his long hair and dark clothing utterly drenched.

"Goodbye, Leader-sama, Nagato-kun and Pein. May you watch over us from the heavens with the rest of our friends. Until the next dawn, Nagato-kun, I will keep the peace we both dreamed of."

And if for the first time since he was thirteen years old salty, clear drops of liquid joined the blood coming from his eyes ... Well, there was no one to see it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

"Have you found them?" Obito growled out from behind his mask, glaring through the one hole in it at the schizophrenic fly-trap plant in annoyance. Zetsu actually flinched at the tone the Uchiha was using. Three weeks of searching and no results sure did do a number on his temper and usually it was Zetsu who was on the receiving end of that very temper. Zetsu had spread out his clones as far as the eye could see, but there was still no sing of them.

And by them, Zetsu meant either Pein's surprising new path with Itachi's very valuable body or Kisame, who they were absolutely certain knew the answer to those strange riddle-like directions. However, as was stated, they'd been searching for three weeks already and they have yet to find either of them. Zetsu told Obito that it was only a matter of time before the Path's body died, but until then, it could have taken Itachi anywhere. Obito, of course, then spent an hour destroying everything in Pein's old office, tearing it apart for clues as to what had gotten into to Uzumaki to steal Itachi's corpse. The body was absolutely and utterly useless, disease ridden as it was, so there was no use of it for Nagato if he had actually survived through some strange technique he never shared with anyone. Obito refused to think that Nagato was really so stupid as to have stolen the body due to some strange sentimental ties he had to the dead Uchiha, even though both he and Zetsu realistically knew that was actually the truth. That still didn't change the fact that Itachi's corpse was still missing and Sasuke definitely lacked Itachi's skill to navigate through the world without the use of his sight. If they didn't get the boy another pair of Sharingan eyes so he can obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke will go completely blind and be utterly useless to them. They needed to find Itachi's corpse and take his eyes as soon as possible.

''I haven't,'' Zetsu replied carefully and quickly prowled on when Obito whirled around to yell at him again. ''But I think I may have found the Path's body.'' That instantly calmed the Uchiha and he gestured for Zetsu to continue. ''It was near one of our first bases in the Kawa no Kuni, so we searched that base. Nothing there. I don't think anyone has even entered the base there.''

''What about the cave in which Sasori died?''

Zetsu shook his head. ''Nothing. I have no idea where he could have hidden Itachi's body, but by the time we find it, it may be too late to salvage his eyes. They've been damaged enough by now as it is. There is no way that they had survived this long without proper preservation.''

Obito cursed inwardly, knowing that Zetsu was right. After just a couple of days, the body starts rotting beyond salvaging if not treated right. He _knew_ he should have just taken Itachi's eyes from the very start. Now all that power was going to vanish without trace, completely wasted on a pacifist who had given everything for his cursed village and damned little brother. ''Madara will not like this.'' He declared, glaring at Zetsu. ''Sasuke will be blind as a bat in just a week or two, without a doubt and as such utterly useless. We _need_ his rage to destroy Konoha.''

''What do you propose we do?''

''It is quite simple, Zetsu,'' a new voice said from behind them and they both turned around to see a tall, well built man with long, wild midnight black hair, some of his bangs covering one eye, dressed in red armor of generations long since passed. His eyes were in the form of the legendary red Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, instantly identifying him as the one and only Uchiha Madara, the so for most powerful Uchiha to exist. He stood there, his arms casually crossed over his chest as he leaned against the door frame of the little room Zetsu and Obito were using for this little meeting. They had to be careful about where they talked of this matter since Sasuke was quite unstable now, one bad word about his brother earning you the death sentence. People have come to actively avoid being in his presence. ''You will take him to the Uchiha Compound Graveyard and find his parents' graves. Take the eyes of one of them and bring them back here, where we will use Hashirama's DNA to restore them. They should be more than enough to give Sasuke his vision back.''

''Will he be as powerful?'' Obito questioned, thinking about the plan. It should work. They only needed someone who is in a close blood relation to Sasuke in order to activate the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in the boy.

Madara snorted. ''Of course not. Itachi's eyes are unique. _Everything_ about him is unique. Exceptional. Unrepeatable. If I could choose between Sasuke and Itachi, Itachi would always be my first choice. After all, Itachi's probably the only person alive who would be fully immune to the Infinite Tsukuyomi, seeing as he wields a similar power.''

''Yes, the reason we were always careful to keep a close eye on him.'' The younger Uchiha conceded, knowing his younger cousin could be quite the handful. Even in death, he was making problems for them. Then something hit him and he frowned at Madara. ''Wait a second, you talked about Itachi in the present tense.'' The long haired raven just arched an eyebrow. Obito frowned deeper. ''What aren't you telling me, Madara?''

''I have good reason to believe that Itachi might be alive.''

''WHAT?!'' Both Zetsu and Obito exclaimed, shocked and a bit horrified that it might be the truth. ''But how?'' The other Uchiha demanded, looking around to see if Sasuke or one of his friends were around. If Sasuke learned his brother was somehow alive again, it would be real bad for them. The boy was now even more obsessed with his brother than he had ever been before, and that's saying something.

''It is unclear to me as well, but I am guessing that Nagato did something to bring him back to life. It is one of the powers provided by the Rinnegan, after all.'' Madara said casually and the other two exchanged weary glances. Madara was just smirking to himself. ''Perhaps I will finally get to test him in combat myself?''

''I honestly don't think that's such a good idea, sensei.'' Obito told his musing great great great uncle. ''Even after years of intense observation, we have no idea what he can really do. The Susanoo had been surprising enough.''

''That is precisely the reason I wish to fight him.'' The ancient Uchiha declared excitedly. ''I have observed my clan from afar for decades and he is the first person I have come across who has mastered the Susanoo. All on his own, no less.''

''Technically, Sasuke did so, too.'' Obito pointed out, not seeing how his youngest cousin differed so greatly from Itachi in Madara's eyes.

''Sasuke saw the Susanoo performed right in front of his eyes.'' The long haired Uchiha elaborated. ''He instinctively knew what to do after his Sharingan saw the technique. Itachi had no inspiration or model for any of his jutsus. He discovered hem on his own and trained them by himself. He had no reference to compare. This is why I think of him differently to Sasuke.'' The older man looked off into the distance, his mind miles and miles away from his current company. ''To be able to do so, at such a young age ... Truly extraordinary.''

Obito sweat dropped. ''Maybe we can think about how awesome Itachi was some other time ... Or is it 'is' now?''

Madara seemed to ponder that for a moment before shrugging. ''The Rinnegan's sensory abilities, as well as the enhancement of my own natural sensory skills due to Hashirama's DNA suggest that there are not three Uchiha Clan chakra signatures, but rather four. And all four are living. If I were to be asked to place a bet, I'd say that yes, Itachi _is_ alive.''

''But that only leads us to a whole new bundle of problems.'' Zetsu pointed out gravely. ''He is unchangingly loyal to Konoha. He will probably try to stop us in the upcoming battles.''

 **''He should still be gravely injured.''** Black Zetsu pointed out. **''And even if he were healed, he'd been dead for quite the number of days before Nagato could have revived him. He should be greatly weakened at this time, still. If we could find him now** we would have no problem taking him down.'' White Zetsu finished, looking thoughtful while hi other half looked excited at the prospect of killing the prodigy.

''Finding him will be a hard task in on itself.'' The short haired Uchiha stated, running a hand through his messy spikes of hair. ''Especially since we have no idea where to even begin looking.''

Zetsu suddenly perked up. ''I think I know where we can begin our search.''

The two Uchihas looked at him with curiosity. ''Go on.'' The older one urged.

''One of my copies just reported that Kisame was spotted fighting some Konoha shinobi. They're trying to make him talk right about now. You know, all the little dirty secrets of the Akatsuki, where Sasuke is and our final plan or whatever.'' The Uchihas nodded. ''If we can go there and take Kisame back, perhaps we can get him to tell us where Pein might have taken Itachi's corpse.''

''Fat chance of that happening.'' Obito grumbled but Madara nodded along with the plan.

''Send Sasuke out. Obito, you're going to Konoha for a pair of Uchiha eyes.'' The two nodded and Madara snapped his fingers, signaling for them to leave. The two left not a second later, Zetsu sinking into the earth and heading off to find Sasuke so they can save an endangered shark while Obito used Kamui to reach Konoha in a matter of seconds, landing right in front of his dead uncle's grave with a somewhat remorseful look in his eyes but a wicked smile on his face.

Madar left them to it, too distracted by the thoughts of the final Uchiha among the living, the one that should be as dead as he was. Itachi had always fascinated him. He had arrived into the Akatsuki as a small, fragile-looking teenager of only thirteen, yet he had exuded more power out of his young, thin frame than the rest of the organization combined. His chakra reserves were awfully low but he had such perfect control over his chakra that he could use jutsus long after people with ten times the amount of chakra he had have with the same efficiency as though it were the first jutsu he was using all over again. His calm demeanor no matter what happened allowed him to keep a cool head in even the most dangerous situations, which allowed him to clearly analyze the situation when it was needed the most. He had perfected all ninja arts at a very young age and his loyalty was something to marvel at.

What intrigued him the most about the youngest ANBU ever was that he had gone to such extreme lengths for his younger brother. Madara had loved Izuna beyond all boundaries of normal or sibling acceptable by the society, being prepared to destroy the world for his younger brother if Izuna wished it of him. His death was a more devastating blow to Madara than anything Hashirama and Tobirama combined could have delivered.

Itachi looked to be ready to do anything for Sasuke, too. He had killed his family, destroyed his reputation, ''betrayed'' the village he loved so much, allowed himself to be villainized and hunted, kept himself alive through willower alone so that Sasuke could get his fucked up revenge and had been prepared to give Sasuke his eyes had his corpse not been stolen. Madara wondered if he could do the same, be so humble to let people walk all over him like that. He knew for one that he would never let Izuna to try to kill him. He'd tap him, put him in time out for a month and scold him so fiercely that Izuna will spend a week apologizing.

Especially if he were like Itachi, a prodigy of unmatched talent and unseen before genius. Itachi stuck out like s ore thumb in the Uchiha family tree, as he was probably one of the only Uchiha to be so humble, to have an absolute lack of arrogance no matter what he did or how he did it. Itachi was so close to perfection that it was funny to think he would lower himself so. Had he been truly loyal to the Akatsuki, Madara would have made sure he didn't have to ever act so low, wouldn't allow anyone to ridicule this one genius.

But the fact of the situation was that Itachi was actually their number one enemy. Madara had no doubt that, with his Rinnegan and the Hashirama cells in his body, he can take on anyone who would try to take him on. Unfortunately, if it were Itachi he had to fight, he'd have to give it his all and still risk a devastating loss. With the Yasaka Magatama he controls so magnificently, the deadly and dangerous sealing Sword of Totsuka and the all-reflective Yata Mirror in the possession of his Susanoo, Itachi's defense was impenetrable, ultimate and unstoppable. His Tsukuyomi would be something he'd have to actively look out for. Madara didn't want to be the first to test out if Itachi's deadliest genjutsu can trap someone who is also in the possession of the Mangekyo Sharingan. He guessed he'd be able to deal with the Amaterasu, if only he could predict where someone like Itachi might attack with it.

He'd have to tire him out, Madara knew. Itachi had low chakra reserves as his only weakness. His chakra control compensated for it rather nicely, but there was only _so much_ Itachi could stretch his chakra reserves. Chakra restraints would be of little help, but if he could get close enough to him to _suck_ his chakra out ... Yes, that _could_ work ... If he could actually _manage_ to get that close to Itachi. Maybe he's faster than Itachi, but he wouldn't be faster than his eyes, he feared. And then there were those damned crows of his that he used to distract people ... Madara always hated crows, even more so after he realized that Itachi had a pact with them. Those things were more loyal than dogs were. And they were perfect for someone like Itachi.

He presumed he'd have to end the fight in a way that might appease Itachi's style the most: come to a compromise with ht other Uchiha. Or rather, get something to lord over him. His little brother would be good, but chances were that he won't be able to keep Sasuke on his side if Itachi were to be revealed to still be walking among the living. Itachi was turning out to be an even bigger problem than he had presumed him to be in the first place. Maybe his partner will suffice for him to step down from protecting Konoha? Unlikely, but still a possibility.

''We're ready to go, Madara-sama.'' Said man blinked out of his thoughts and turned to face Sasuke, who was squinting at him subtly, and Zetsu. Madara fought down a sigh of exasperation when he saw Sasuke's new playmates just beyond the door frame. Well, he guessed they'd come in handy if they met too much resistance in retrieving Kisame.

''Then what are you waiting for? You have an overgrown fish to catch.'' He snapped at them and ignored the glare Sasuke sent his way, but he didn't let the boy leave before he got one last word in for him. ''And Sasuke?'' He continued only when the boy paused. ''We've found you a set of eyes so you can get the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Be sure to come back alive in order to receive it.''

''Hn.'' Was all the teen replied with, seething on the inside that they have yet to find his brother's body. He didn't even care for the eyes, Madara realized. He only wanted the body itself back. Well, Madara knew that feeling, remembering Izuna's death.

But unlike Izuna, Itachi had cheated death somehow and still roamed the land of the living. He was a threat. Madara guessed he'd be one of those rare few people who caught a glimpse of the other side and came back to tell about it.

Too bad Madara planned on giving him a one way ticket back a little earlier than Itachi or even Nagato had suspected.

Itachi was a threat, their _number one threat_.

Itachi had to die.

 _'What will you do, little weasel?'_


	4. Chapter 4

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

There was a time and a place for everything, Itachi-san had once told him, and the fate of an assignment, of a mission, of a relationship, of a village or organization or even something as simple as a family greatly depended on that time and place. Kisame had scuffed at the notion that everything had to be painstakingly planned up ahead of the curve when the Uchiha had told him that, back in the early days of their partnership, but he had learned over the years that the genius was never wrong.

He hated to think that, even after his death, he still wasn't properly listening to Itachi-san's advice, even now that he found himself surrounded and imprisoned by Hatake Kakashi, that Yamato, Maito Gai, Uzumaki Naruto and Killer B. There was a time and a place to refuse to give answers and a time and a place to provide fake information. Standing in front of another Sharingan user was definitely not the place and the time was most certainly not now, when he was still racing with Madara, Tobi and their henchmen to find his lover's body.

''Look, guys, I'm really not in the mood nor do I have time to deal with you.'' He got interesting stares from the gathered shinobi but he ignored them. Another thing he had to learn when with his partner: they were always stared at and not all of those stares were good. For instance, there were leers sent towards Itachi-san from left and right and every other direction as they walked down the streets of the towns they visited on missions. Or another example would be dumbfounded expressions when they saw them walking side by side, many wondering why the beautiful Uchiha would be wasting his time with someone like Kisame, who looked like a monster from one of the kiddie horror stories when standing next to his partner. The looks he was getting now were just of confusion so it wasn't even that hard to ignore them. "I'm kind of in a race against time and the Akatsuki so, if you're wondering, yes, Sasuke _is_ with the Akatsuki, the original group is dead save for me, Tobi and Zetsu and they're planning to attack near Konoha so they can triumphantly march right over the village they hate, world domination and blah blah blah. There, can I go now?"

Kakashi and Yamato exchanged incredulous looks while Gai was still muttering about feeling like he knew Kisame from somewhere but he didn't know from where. Naruto, however, focused on something else.

"How is he? Sasuke, I mean."

The blue man rolled his eyes at the blond Jinchuuriki. "Not so well. Near blind, near mad, anxious, annoying. Kind of on the edge of it all right now, kid, what with what's been going on for the last three or so weeks."

"And what would that be?" Kakashi asked with an arched eyebrow and Kisame paused to think whether he should say anything to the Copy Ninja. He knew he was one of the rare few friends Itachi-san had back in Konoha and he knew he was honorable, since he'd actually managed to _earn_ Itachi-san's respect. But he still didn't know if he should tell him. Then again, it would be better if Kakashi found the body and possibly destroyed it instead of it being some power hungry tyrant that would destroy it by desecrating it. He wanted Itachi-san to have the ultimate respect so perhaps the best he can give him at this time would be an ANBU style burial. At least his eyes won't be gauge out by his oh so dear family.

"Well, one of Leader-sama's Paths came one day, three weeks ago, and took Itachi-san's body before Tobi could give that little brat his eyes and so we're all searching for him and Itachi-san's body, but I'm searching for it so I can prevent anyone from _ever_ taking Itachi-san's eyes, so I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Okay, no, seriously?" Naruto deadpanned and Kisame sighed all-sufferringly. He briefly wondered if this was how Itachi had felt whenever he talked with people who were completely out of his loop and who then said he was crazy or whatever. It must have gotten real old, real fast.

"Unfortunately, he _is_ being serious, Naruto." The silver haired jonin said with a frown, his eyes focused on the Mist rogue ninja as he studied him and searched for a lie. ''But why he would tell us this is unclear to me.''

''Maybe it's a trap?'' Gai mused and the shark ninja snorted.

''Believe me, if I wanted to set a trap for you blokes, it wouldn't be with Itachi-san's body as bait.'' Kisame said haughtily, sneering down his nose at the other men despite being lower than them at the moment because of how he was trapped, which he had also learned from Itachi. The Uchiha had been about as tall as his midsection when they had first met yet the Uchiha could sneer down at him as though _he_ were the taller one. ''He's way too good for that.''

''Then why tell us?'' The whisker scarred teen asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

''He told you in hopes of you finding Itachi's body before us.'' A familiar voice said coldly behind them and the five Konoha ninja whirled around to face the newcomers while Kisame growled at them like a caged animal. ''Which won't be happening.'' Sasuke said, looking down at them from his perch on a tree next to Zetsu, his Sharingan activated, probably as the only means for him to see at the moment. ''I won't let anyone from that cursed village set their filthy paws on my brother ever again.''

''Sasuke, what the hell!?'' Naruto yelled when the Uchiha formed a Susanoo arm and tried to swipe them away from Kisame, only to be met with Naruto's own new trick in the form of fiery-like chakra hands coming from his back and stopping it halfway. Sasuke frowned and developed the Susanoo's ribcage and other arm until there was a skeleton enveloping him made of chakra and he pushed harder at the Jinchuuriki. Naruto grunted but held his ground as best as he could while Kakashi ran at Sasuke with a Raikiri prepared, but the unoccupied hand swatted him away. Zetsu was fighting Yamato and Killer B, so Kisame was left completely unsupervised and forgotten, left trapped as he was, much to his annoyance.

He really didn't have the time for this. While Sasuke and Zetsu might be occupied here, Tobi and Madara could easily be off somewhere else, searching for Itachi-san's body and these two were just a distraction. He didn't want to disappoint Itachi by not saving his body from being desecrated. But the fact was, even if he were free right now, he was searching blind. He had no idea where to look and he had been going to random places with water the past three weeks.

 _"You shall see him again where the waters of time meet the pillars of life and death, where the wind of destiny rustles the leaves of fate, where stone stairs lead to the red gates of either heaven or hell. Greet him into the world not like a shark, but like a savior."_ What kind of Clue was that? Someone as smart as Itachi might have gotten it instantly, but Kisame wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the toolbox. He wasn't stupid but he'd be wasting time if he were to just sit down and think about it. I mean, waters of time meeting pillars of life and death? Just what the hell? Wind of destiny? Leaves of fate? Stairs that lead to heaven or hell? None of that actually made any sense to Kisame. What was with all the mystics?

 _''_ _Greet him into the world not like a shark, but like a savior."_ What did he mean greet him not like a shark? Why would he greet Itachi-san like a shark? Sharks were violent. Kisame would never hurt his partner. Even on hte day of their first meeting, he had only threatened the Uchiha...

 _'Wait!'_ He thought, startled that it had not occurred to him earlier. _'Haven't I told only Itachi-san that about sharks? I've never spoken to anyone else about it.'_

 _"Sharks start out as eggs, but incubate and hatch in the womb. Sometimes the number of pups is less than the number of eggs that were fertilized. Do you know why? **Cannibalism**. The pups start eating each other within the mother's womb the moment they hatch. They start killing their siblings the moment they enter the world, viewing everything they see as nothing more than prey. As of today you and I are fellow members of Akatsuki. So be careful… of me."_

Those were his exact words when they had first met. Itachi had been calmly sitting on the landing port for small boats near one hideout, just the day after Orochimaru had tried to take control of his body, the creep. Kisame had summoned a few sharks into the water so he could maybe intimidate his would-be partner, but Itachi had remained completely unaffected by the presence of the predators. He hadn't been scared of him, either. He had been perfectly impassive. With how well their first conversation had started, one would think that they'd never get along. Kisame had actually been very tempted to behead him when he had placed his Samehada to Itachi's shoulder but he was a bit curious as to why his sword was having such difficulty in sucking out the younger ninja's chakra. He learned later on that it was because of Itachi's incredible chakra control, but he had been a bit more focused on the shift in power around the weasel when Itachi had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Sure, Kisame had been looking at the Uchiha's back at the moment but the way Itachi's chakra had moved had alerted him that something dangerous and powerful was at hand. Seriously, if one were to judge their relationship from just that one conversation, they would have thought that they wanted to kill each other.

After all, Itachi-san's response was: ''That goes for you too.'' He had then said that anyone who had ever raised a hand against their comrade was sure to die a terrible, indecent death. Kisame had interpreted it as the fact that they had both sealed their fates. Yet Itachi had surprised him yet again. ''No. We aren't fish, we're human. No matter who you are, you do not know what kind of human you are until you are at the very end. One realizes their true nature at the moment of death. That's the way to view death.''

How could he have been so _foolish_ to forget that conversation!? Kisame felt like beating himself up. That conversation is what had actually stilled his hand many times in their first few months together, had stopped him from trying to kill the Uchiha. It had revealed to him a depth he had seen in no other. Yet he had forgotten.

He knew all the clues now. It was so obvious! He really had been relying a little bit too much on Itachi to solve all of their dilemmas over the years if he was having this much trouble doing it by himself now. Water of time probably meant the sea by which they had met. One of them could have died there, had their conversation taken a violent turn, on that dock, whose pillars must have represented life and death. Wind had been playing with Itachi-san's long bangs when he had arrived and rustled the leaves in the forest not so far away, so besides the sounds of the sea, which was Kisame's element, there had been the sounds of forest, too, which was Itachi's element. They had shaped their future there. Kisame had swore never to forget Itachi-san's words, yet he had been stupid enough for them to never occur to him when he had first heard the mystified directions. There had been a long set of stairs leading from a temple down to the dock. Kisame had taken them there to reach his partner. He had known that their first encounter would go either spectacularly well and they'd get along right on or they'd become bitter enemies and perhaps one of them would never even get to climb up those stairs again. He had been a bit wrong, actually, as the first meeting had ended on neutral ground rather than either of the scenarios he had envisioned.

And greeting Itachi-san into the world not like a shark was a threat by Leader-sama to treat Itachi-san right, but how do you greet a dead man? _'Unless ... No, no no!'_ Kisame shook his head, scowling. Why must he torture himself with such thoughts. Of course Itachi-san was dead. He had taken the raven haired ninja from Zetsu's grasp and had carried him on foot for half a day to their hideout, never letting anyone else touch the Uchiha. It was useless thinking like that. He'd get his hopes up, only for them to be demolished again. He had spent that entire trip hoping Itachi would just open his eyes and tell Kisame that he had fooled them all and that he was perfectly fine. But Kisame knew it was fruitless. Itachi-san had been at death's door since he was nineteen, when they had first even realized how severe his condition was. Kisame had been horrified at the thought that the Uchiha had been sick like that since he turned sixteen and that he had never told anyone. Itachi had been sick for a very long time and his body had finally given out when he could no longer spend chakra on forcing his organs to work. _'It's useless to think about this.'_ He chided himself.

Instead, he thought about why Leader would even drop such a hint to Kisame. Perhaps the body wouldn't last for much longer? That was a possibility. If he expected Kisame to destroy his lover's body then he was far crueler than Kisame had ever thought him to be. But Pein had looked upon Itachi-san as his own kid, everyone knew that. Maybe he wanted Kisame to make sure no one ever found Itachi? To place the Uchiha in that sea, protect his body from the elements and place his sharks around to protect him from humans? Kisame couldn't be sure but he guessed he'd find out when he gets there.

But seeing as he's trapped a tired from the nonstop searching, that may take a while. He sighed, looking back up to the battle.

And just in time for everyone to see Uzumaki Naruto vomit up a black bird with red eyes, a _crow_. The elegant bird flew up with gawking and crowing noises, circling the clearing and making everyone stop in their fight for the time being. Naruto was perhaps the only one still moving, but it was his jaw flapping like a fish's from shock of having had a bird fly out of his mouth.

''What the?'' Kisame said, startled, when the bird landed right in front of him and cocked its head to the side, as though studying him. The gesture reminded Kisame painfully of Itachi when he was curious or didn't understand something, which was very rare. And as the crow stared at him, Kisame recognized the animal and a somewhat soft expression crossed his face. It was Itachi-san's crow. The one that never left his side. ''Hey, are you looking for your master?'' He asked in a quiet voice and Kakashi and Sasuke strained their eyes to read his lips. ''Sorry, but you can't see Itachi-san anymore. You should have stayed waiting where Itachi-san placed you. You might be messing up some of his plans.'' The crow let out an indignant noise and Kisame chuckled.

''Are you _seriously_ talking to a _bird_ as though it can understand you?'' White Zetsu asked incredulously. **''And they call _us_ crazy.''** Black Zetsu grumbled.

''That's Itachi's bird. It's smarter than half of the shinobi I've met.'' Kakashi said, defending the bird. He knew it quite well. Itachi used to use it for spying and many other tasks while he had still been within the ANBU.

''Nii-san,'' Sasuke sadly murmured. Yep, he still felt guilty as hell for Itachi's death and for never seeing just how much his older brother was hurting. To be expected, really, but it was kind of creepy seeing Sasuke so depressed when he had been ready to tear them apart limb by limb just a few minutes ago. The crow looked up and over to Sasuke, studying the youngest Uchiha like it had studied Kisame, curiously, imploringly. It gawked in seeming displeasure at seeing that he was practically blind. Itachi would no doubt be unhappy with that development, too. Especially since he had wanted for Sasuke to have his eyes.

''What was it doing _in my mouth_!?'' Naruto finally recovered enough to shriek, to which Killer B flinched from where he had been about to shake Naruto out of his stupor. '' _How_ did it get in there? _Why_ was it there?! _When_ did he put it in!?''

Kisame shrugged as best as he could while he was being restrained as he was. ''Itachi-san worked in mysterious ways but if I'd have to guess, I'd say it was when you fought him last, just before the little shit-head over there came to kill him.'' Sasuke flinched at that and Kisame felt strangely gratified. He never did like the kid and with good reason. Even before he fell head over heals for Itachi, he had hated the thought of some brat killing his partner, who was incredible in every sense of the word. Sasuke couldn't measure up to Itachi if he actually _became_ Itachi, if that even makes sense. Maybe this thing was cutting off the circulation of oxygenated blood to his brain? ''How and why are questions I'd say you'd have to ask Itachi-san himself but he's kind of, you know, _dead_.''

Sasuke glared this time, apparently pissed off that the Kiri nin was rubbing it in his face. ''While I agree that he does strange things, I know my brother must have had a good reason to do this. What I'd care to know is why he chose that idiot,'' he pointed to the blond in question, who glared at his ex teammate. ''To store his crow in.''

''It's Uchiha Itachi. **If you can understand him, Madara will give you plenty treasures if you share it with him.** '' Zetsu said with a shrug. ''Itachi's been baffling him since he arrived.''

''Sound's like Itachi-san.'' Kisame snorted fondly, remembering his own many confusions with the Uchiha in question. He smiled sadly as he realized he'll never be baffled by his partner ever again. Seeming to feel his mood, the crow looked back over to him and he would have sworn it had frowned at him. However, he let out a rather unmanly yelp when it's left eye suddenly turned a different shade of red and three tomoe appeared. Before he could do anything, he was thrust into a genjutsu. It was the same situation he was in, but the crow was showing him how he has to escape and then he saw it flying overhead, high above the trees of the forest, speeding towards an unknown location. But the further the flight took them, Kisame started recognizing the scenery that was passing them by. When he saw the weathered out old shrine on top of a forest-covered hill, Kisame knew where they were even before he saw the sea water below and the dock.

But then he saw a figure standing at the end of the wooden dock, wind rustling their long hair, dressed in a simple mesh armor with navy accents under an identical T-shirt with a simple white belt around the waist and dark blue pants. The figure turned and Kisame's breath was knocked out of him. Even though it was too far to see every detail, he could still recognize this person. They raised a hand and made a beckoning motion. Kisame wanted to obey but he didn't have that power. He stayed behind while the crow went down there. The figure let it land on their arm and they seemed to tell it something before the crow took back off towards Kisame and th figure burst into a dozen or so crows and disappeared.

Kisame reached out towards the figure, wanting him back and safe, even if in just this genjutsu. But he couldn't even graze them from this distance. He doubted they'd even hear if he called out to him at the top of his lungs. He was gone.

But the crow, when it returned, gave Kisame a forehead protector.

A Konoha forehead protector. It was whole and looked new, not the slashed one Itachi had worn to his death. Then he heard that voice, that velvety, dark, deep voice as smooth as silk and satin, whisper in his ear.

 _I will seek you out on the battlefield. I will run to your side in war. And I will never leave you alone again._

It was a promise from the first time one of them had been captured when Itachi was seventeen. Someone had managed to drug him in one of the hotels they'd been staying when the Uchiha was particularly exhausted after a tiring mission. He hadn't noticed the drug in his sake which Kisame had insisted they drink to celebrate such a success. He had then left for their room but when Kisame went to join him a few hours later, he was gone, kidnapped by two rookies of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. Kisame had tore apart the forest until he had found his partner, barely awake and refusing to give out information of either the Akatsuki or Kisame while they tortured him. Kisame had tore them apart with the ferocity of a raging beast. He'd had to carry the Uchiha back to their hotel and to hunt for a good enough doctor to treat his precious partner.

When the haggard doctor had fled their room, Kisame had spent the entire night at his sleeping partner's bedside. And in the morning, when Itachi woke up, he was so revealed to see him awake that he had gathered the younger man in his arms and refused to let go for half an hour. Itachi had just sighed and hugged him back, petting Kisame's hair and whispering that promise in his ears over and over again. A promise of partnership and loyalty as well as close to a love admission either of them could ever afford to come to.

Kisame felt like he couldn't breathe. This wasn't a prearranged message. This was the renewal of an old promise. Somewhere out there ... Kisame didn't waste a second before he channeled his chakra into his muscles and ripped himself free of the restraints, startling everyone with the yell that accompanied it.

It was a message, an order from Itachi-san. Kisame had never disobeyed the Uchiha and he wasn't about to now, either. The message was clear: Itachi was still loyal to Konoha, so if he wanted to see the Uchiha again, he should stick with Konoha's shinobi and before long, when that accursed war that was on the horizon finally started, Itachi-san will reveal himself.

But he won't be useful to either his partner or Konoha in his current condition so he smirked at the startled ninja, quickly picked up Samehada and gave them all a mock salute before disappearing in a whirlwind of water. He had to heal a little before such a battle, after all.

Besides, he can't come before Itachi-san so beat up, right?


	5. Chapter 5

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

It would seem he had passed out sometime during the rain. Itachi only learned of this after he woke up in some small hut that he found startlingly familiar. He recognized it after a few beats of his frantic heart and then he relaxed. He knew he was safe here, at least. This was probably the only place in Konoha he was currently safe in. After all, Nekobaa wasn't loyal to Konoha as much as she had always been to the Uchiha and to Itachi in particular. They were her best customers and she often had Itachi run various errands for her in the abandoned city she and her cats lived in. She had always been very fond of him and Sasuke.

It made sense that Pein would leave him somewhere where he knew he'd be safe.

As he ate his breakfast with Nekobaa and her granddaughter four weeks later, well rested and healed from his rather brief encounter with death, Itachi had to wonder why he had shared so much of his life with Leader and Konan-san. He was glad of it now, of course, but he still wondered why he had chosen them and almost as soon as he had met them. It had taken him over a year to tell anything to Kisame and that man now knew more about him than even Shisui had, which was saying something. He guessed he had seen Nagato and Konan as family as much as they had, but he wasn't sure when that had started. It was probably a result of all the fussing. He usually wouldn't have allowed it, but in the few months after the massacre, he had been willing to let anyone fuss over him, if only to feel a little more like a child and pretend there was an ounce of innocence left in him.

''Itachi-chan, you really shouldn't dwell into the past during meals.'' Nekobaa admonished and Itachi snapped out of his thoughts. ''It's rather dangerous.'' At that, he and Tamaki snorted, appreciating the good humor it was said with. ''Now, what troubles you these days? You can tell us. We've kept all of your secrets so far. One more won't really matter, now will it?''

The only male sighed, putting down his rice bowl and chopstick, looking out of the window at the rainy day. It wasn't often that it rained this heavily so close to Konoha. It was surreal. Especially with the thoughts running through his head.

Tamaki interrupted his thoughts before he could dive too deeply into them, startling him back into reality. ''You're thinking about the war, aren't you?'' He didn't need to answer, as they all knew what it was. The gentle brunet glared at him. ''You are in no condition to go out and fight, Itachi-san. You've done enough for Konoha. You can rest now.''

Itachi smiled sadly at the honorific attached to his name. It wasn't uncommon or anything, but hearing it always made him think of his partner. He let his gentle eyes rest on the teen girl and she flushed at having such a handsome man's attention. ''Of course I will think about the war. It is something I've been trying to stop my whole life.'' He looked out of the window again, his face determined now. ''I have not done nearly enough for Konoha for it be safe. I cannot rest, for more reasons than one.''

''You just came back!'' One of the cats complained, pawing at Itachi's knee to get his attention. He had been quickly accepted back amongst the cats that had known him since he was but a baby. They had been so used to him coming to their abandoned city every other week that when he stopped coming, they had needed years to get used to his lack of presence. They knew what had happened. They knew the _truth_ behind it all. They were cats, they talked with other animals and found out the truth. It was the only reason they had allowed him to come back in. Not that it would have mattered to them all that much. They were animals and they knew Itachi was a good person since they could sense it. And they liked him, especially when they got him to sit and pet them all for hours. The Uchiha had no problem with doing that, especially as he had still been so weak after being brought back from the dead. ''You can't go die on us again!''

''Yeah!'' A few other cats complained, crowding in on Itachi. ''It's boring without Itachi-chan!''

The weasel just smiled down at them and pet their heads. These were youngsters who had only just met him yet they liked him almost more than the elder cats did. The were really endearing. ''I am afraid I must. I have someone out there waiting for me to meet them in the battlefield so we can fight together again.''

''You are really in no condition to go, Itachi-chan.'' Nekobaa pointed out, delaying the inevitable. She knew how stubborn Itachi was and she knew she'll never be able to make him stay if he's set his mind on going. ''The war is far worse than we had thought it possible. You are still weak.''

''And you've received those new powers you know nothing about!'' Tamaki added, hoping to deter him form going. ''What if they take too much chakra out of you and you pass out? Or what if they somehow backfire?''

''I wasn't planning on going out just yet.'' Itachi reassured them. ''I don't plan on leaving here for another week. Like you said, I've got new powers that I need to explore and train. Nagato-kun has left me with incredible powers that I _will_ need to use. He's entrusted them with me to _stop_ this war and any future war that may come after it. I cannot let them go to waste if they can save lives.''

''You've always been far too selfless for your own good, Itachi.'' The old woman said with a sight, dropping the endearing, fond honorific. ''What will Sasuke say if he learns you died again?'' Itachi looked away and, for the first time since they'd found him a month ago, it occurred to them that the younger Uchiha may not even know he was alive. ''Uchiha Itachi, you better not tell me that you never told your little brother that you are still alive.'' She warned and the Uchiha sighed.

''I was practically left on your doorstep by an artificial body of my dead Leader after he revived me, miles upon miles away from where my brother might be. You are the first people I have seen since I was revived, Leader-sama not counting.'' Black eyes closed in apparent pain. ''I have two people I'd give anything for just to tell them I am alive but it may be better that they don't know where I am. My partner from the Akatsuki already knows I live and I have little doubt that Madara has figured it out, too. I will need to leave soon enough. Before Madara comes and finds me.''

''We can take him on, Itachi-san! We'll fight with you!'' Tamaki exclaimed, wanting the Uchiha to remain as long as he can, forever if possible. She didn't remember him so well from when she was little but she knew enough about him to know he was the gentlest soul alive. He had done much for her and her grandmother. She wanted him to stay so he could be safe.

And Itachi knew this and it pained him to worry these two women. Ever since they brought him here, they had practically been waiting him on foot, doing all they can to make sure he recovered as quickly as possible. Nekobaa had stayed awake for three nights and days straight just watching over him after Tamaki and a few bigger cats brought him in. Tamaki had run to the villages, trading precious weapons and herbs for the medicine they couldn't make themselves and the cats had been guarding the city day and night ever since. He owed them. He shouldn't be causing them such distress and anxiousness.

But he couldn't stay either, and not just because of him wanting to find Kisame and Sasuke and tell them he was alive. Kisame actually knew, since he had retracted his crow last week from Naruto-kun and had seen just what state the world was in. He may be saying that he won't leave for a week, but Itachi has a feeling he might be leaving in just under three days. He had sensed serious tampering with jutsus that are better left untouched. And between Obito and Madara ... Itachi didn't want to leave the Shinobi Nations to fight on their own. The Uchiha were his responsibility. It's up to him to deal with Madara and Obito. Besides, Zetsu was planning something else. Itachi knew that Black and White halves of Zetsu were not just arguing over their opinions of silly matters or the people surrounding them. They were plotting something and Itachi would rather he knew what it was and be prepared for it. He had a bad feeling about all of this and the one thing he had learned in all of his years of life, even before he became a shinobi, was that his gut feeling was never wrong. It was more accurate than even his impeccable aim.

But he didn't know what he has to prepare for and how much power he will need, so he had already started discovering his powers in secret. He wasn't all that surprised to see what sorts of powers Nagato had left him. He had been awfully generous.

The first power he left with Itachi was the ability to absorb chakra. It wasn't as great as the limitless absorptive potential of the Preta Path, since Itachi had a limit due to his small chakra reserves. He could still absorb so much chakra that he could be considered a second Tailless Tailed Beast like Kisame was. It greatly increased Itachi's chakra reserves and he was now a lot stronger than he had ever been before, even when he had been healthy. There was a side effect to this, too, as Itachi's sensory abilities skyrocketed.

The gravitational powers of the Deva Path was Nagato's second gift to him. Itachi had been greatly surprised by this skill but he was glad that he had not acquired any of of the Human Path's powers over souls.

But he did receive one other amazing power that ought to be real useful against Madara and Obito: the ability to produce black receivers into which he can channel his chakra through the power of the Outer Path. The most devastating of Nagato's techniques were performed with this path and he had entrusted its power to Itachi. It was for this reason alone that Itachi knew he _had_ to, he just _had_ to fight in this war and hope that it will finally be the last one.

Itachi had been training his new powers ever since his crow had returned to him after he had sent that one message to Kisame. He briefly wondered if his partner would understand and had then decided to trust in Kisame. The shark was no idiot. He will know what has to be done. They will meet on the battlefield once again and they will fight side by side. At least, Itachi hoped as much. He would really hate it if his partner ended up joining the enemy side and he and Itachi were to be forced to fight. For the safety of his village and his brother, Itachi _will_ fight Kisame, although he'd rather really not to.

The final change Itachi had noticed since he got these powers and he started using them was that his eyes had changed. Sure, his eyes were still their normal black and the screla was still white like always, but when he activated his Sharingan, there were now three rings within his irises. They looked almost black but they were actually a bit purple. It can hardly be noticed unless someone looked very, _very_ carefully at his red eyes, something _no one_ was crazy to do for fear of the Sharingan's incredible powers. He noticed them while he had been practicing in the window of one of the abandoned shops. These rings appeared only when he was using Nagato-kun's gifts to him. The powers woke up the change in his eyes. It is the reason why his eyes had been bleeding the day Nagato-kun had revived him. They appeared even if he was using the Mangekyo Sharingan and were just as subtle in that form, too. They didn't stand out at all. Although he _did_ notice that they seemed to ... well, for the lack of a better word, _glow_ just the tiniest bit when he created the black receivers while he was practicing. They didn't impair any of his other jutsus but he soon found out that the pain of using Amaterasu and Susanoo was absent now. He didn't yet have the chance to teat out the Tsukuyomi but he was willing to bet his right arm that it was the same.

His Susanoo had a few new tricks up his sleeve, too. Itachi could now produce a second sword along with his Sword of Totsuka. The Kusanagi was not something he had been expecting but he wasn't one to complain, either way. Not to mention that he now had the ability to do a technique uniquely his own, like the Tsukuyomi. He calls it the Kagutsuchi, a technique where his Susanoo gains fiery wings that can encase his Susanoo in a fiery whirlwind to protect it from attacks from all sides. It doesn't absorb the attacks like the Yata Mirror, nor does it incinerate them like the Amaterasu, but the fire is strong enough to actually withstand Amaterasu, something Itachi had never seen before. His Susanoo had just gotten more interesting and unique. _Nothing_ up until that point could resist Amaterasu.

But he wasn't going to tell any of that to his two hostesses. It would be useless. It wouldn't stop their worrying. So Itachi kept it all to himself as he continued to count down the days before he would be needed. He was a lot stronger than he let on. His body, now no longer impaired by his illness, had healed with a startling speed due to how he distributed his greatly larger chakra reserves. Still, he didn't want to rush into this, either. If he were to make his presence known _before_ he was absolutely sure he was needed ... Well, he was still a criminal. They'd try to hunt him down and Itachi believed they'd need all their capable soldiers rather focused on finishing the war as soon as possible as opposed to chasing a dead man.

"I appreciate the offer, Takami-san, but this is _my_ responsibility." Itachi replied with a smile but a very serious glint in his eyes that told both women that his word was last on this matter. "It is up to me to deal with all things Uchiha, Danzo and Akatsuki related. Unfortunately, my brother found out about Danzo and had dealt with him in a manner I do not completely approve or disapprove of, and while most of the Akatsuki are gone, the most dangerous members remain. They are also Uchiha, which makes it unchangeably my responsibility and my _duty_ to stop them."

"We understand." Nekobaa said after a pause with a grave nod and Takami deflated when she realized her grandmother won't try to stop Itachi. "But you must be certain you are ready for this before you go out there, Itachi-chan."

"Wait, I thiught he said he won't leave for at least another week!?" The distressed teenager complained, looking from Itachi to Nekobaa to confirm or drop her concerns.

"It's not really up to him." The old lady replied gravely. "War waits for no man, just like time doesn't either. Uchiha Itachi knows this."

"So you _are_ aware of my trainings," it wasn't a question. It didn't _need_ to be. Nekobaa had her cats as her spies but Itachi had his crow. Whatever it saw, Itachi saw. He just hadn't been sure if the cats were telling Nekobaa what they saw or if they were just curious. With cats, it could be either way. "You are not going to stop me?" He asked, needing to make sure he does not offend the old woman who had done so much for him and his clan and brother.

"I know it would be futile and only leave us on bad terms. I'd rather you still visit us than not, Itachi-chan."

The raven haired man smiled fondly at her words. "Thank you, Nekobaa-sama. Your blessing means a great deal to me." He bowed to her before suddenly going stiff, a shock running through his senses and his body. He froze mid bow and his two companions noticed immediately.

"Itachi-san?" Takami asked as she and the gathered cats stared at the Uchiha. As soon as she said his name, he snapped back to attention and raised to his feet, his eyes turning red as he stared off into the distance.

"It's time." He said, raising an arm and letting his fateful crow land on it before he marched right out of the dinning room and towards his own private quarters that the two women were kind enough to give him. The rest of the room's inhabitants that he left behind exchanged uneasy glances and moved to follow him, but Itachi reappeared moments later, shrugging on the white cloak Takami had been so kind to make for him over an ANBU-style uniform Nekobaa had gotten for him while he had still been resting. He lacked the katana that had fallen his clansmen and the man that was behind Shisui's death, but he had plenty kunai, shuriken, explosive tags and wire to put on a decent fight _without_ revealing his new powers. He paused in his march only long enough to bow to his two hostesses. "I am grateful to you for your care and hospitality. If I survive, I will return to pay my dues." And with that, the Uchiha was gone, his crow cawing as they sped off in an unknown direction even under the pouring rain.

"Will he be okay, Nekobaa-san?" Takami asked of her grandmother, who could only grunt as her answer, both staying for over an hour with their cats to watch the direction in which Itachi had disappeared.

Itachi ran as fast as he could, knowing it would be dangerous to jump up onto the tree branches to travel as such. He, even with all of his grace, reflexes and skills, could still very easily slip and now was _not_ the time for him to get injured again. He had sensed it. A very powerful and very dangerous jutsu had just been put to use. Something familiar that should be dead had just reentered the world. Itachi would _not_ allow for this disrespect to go on. He put on a new burst of speed and allowed a little bit of chakra to seep into his muscles so he can go even faster.

Before long, nothing of the abandoned city was left for Itachi to see. He could only focus on the upcoming battlefield.


	6. Chapter 6

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Naruto cursed as he found himself captured in such a deadly fight with Nagato all over again, feeling that cold chakra tugging on his very soul as the Edo Tensei revived Uzumaki Nagato, under full control of the technique, tried to seal Naruto and Killer B with his Human Path so he can use their biju later. The blond tugged harder at his soul, remembering that very difficult tug of war he'd played with the Kyuubi so he can get this power in the first place and wondering how _this_ felt like a tougher battle. Nagato's battle companion was not helping.

The day had started out well enough for a war driven time, all things considered. He'd managed to convince the others to let him fight and he and Killer B, the last two remaining Jinchuuriki that Madara would need to take care of if he wanted to have all nine biju, had ran off to go to the war ground from the Village Hidden by the Waterfalls just yesterday. Early this morning, while they were still running towards the battlefield, where they knew a Edo Tensei Uchiha Madara was making a ruckus, they had suddenly came upon two men, one of whom Naruto instantly recognized.

Uzumaki Nagato, pale, frail, white haired and definitely dead despite walking and talking, was dressed in faded red robes as he was leaning against his companion while they traveled, a tall, well built man in his late teens, maybe early twenties, with dark hair, pale complexion but darker than Nagato's sickly pallor and, most notable of all, two Sharingan red eyes, also dressed in the same robes. They'd come to a stop in front of Killer B and Naruto and Nagato had seemed genuinely glad to see Naruto. Killer B had then asked if they knew each other and Naruto shortly explained their battle for Konoha and what had happened afterwards. Nagato had then returned the courtesy and introduced his companion, one Uchiha Shisui who he had only heard of and about but had never met until they were reanimated together a couple of hours ago.

That had even been normal, by Naruto's new standards. But what happened next was most definitely not. Suddenly, Nagato and this Shisui fellow tensed before Shisui formed the hand seals and fired a Katon: Gokakyo no Jutsu at them that they would have been seriously burned by had Killer B not entered his chakra cloak mode at the last minute and slashed with one of his eight tails at the incoming fireball. Not long after that, a full out fight broke out, Nagato and Shisui being controlled by whoever had summoned them back to the living. They thankfully still could warn the two Jinchuuriki of what they were about to do, such as Shisui warning them about his ultimate genjutsu, the Kotoamatsukami and when he was going to use his Shunshin no Jutsu that he got so famous for.

But even that luck ran out when it became obvious the two were doing their all to help their opponents beat them and whoever was pulling their strings completely shut off Nagato. He lost himself to their control and here they were now, Shisui unable to help them as he was held back and Nagato doing his best to drag out their souls from their bodies and the two of them struggling as best as they could to get themselves free. It wasn't doing much. They couldn't even attempt anything. Nagato had them surrounded by his animal summons and could suck out their chakra without batting an eye, like he had with Killer B during their fight before he had captured them.

 _'Damn it, this can't be the end!'_ Naruto desperately thought as he increased his struggles but he knew it was useless. His soul was slowly slipping from his grasp and he felt more fatigued by the second. He didn't want to die like this! He still needed to go and help in the war and then stop Sasuke!

"Yo, Naruto!" Killer B called out, struggling with his own problems and grunting every once in a while. "It would seem this is it, bro! To get out of this pickle, we'd need a miracle!"

As if answering to Killer B's not so good rhymes, the animal summons suddenly gave a screech as most of them were struck by kunai straight into the center of their eyes, seemingly out of no where. Nagato looked up from where he was trying to drag out Naruto's soul out of his body just in time for a red skeletal, chakra avatar hand to slice his arm off, separating him from the two Jinchuuriki. Two more hands appeared and took hold of Naruto and Killer B, snatching them up and away from the Rinnegan user as the Susanoo skeleton manifested, its owner in its ribcage as he slid away from Nagato. The red eyes of Uchiha Itachi were as sharp as they had ever been as he regarded his opponents with his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Itachi!?" A shocked Naruto gasped, gawking down at the supposed to be dead Uchiha. He made no move to escape from his current predicament, just resting in one of the Susanoo's right arms with Killer B in the other while the free left hand was used to swipe away at the other Sharingan user.

"So that's the Susanoo! Man, what a show!" Killer B commented with awe, feeling how the chakra apparition, so dense as it was, easily restrained all of his movements and held him above ground.

"Itachi?" Shisui asked, staring at his younger cousin from where he had landed twenty feet away from the three living shinobi. The long haired Uchiha easily met his eyes and a small smile came to the pale lips.

"Hello, Shisui. I am so glad to see you again." Before any more pleasantries could be exchanged, however, Shisui lunged for Itachi with a kunai in hand, the younger man easily meeting him half way, their kunai clashing and sparks flying from the impact as Itachi dissipated his Susanoo after flinging Naruto and Killer B away from where Edo Tensei Nagato was slowly recovering. The two Uchiha exchanged a long parry of attempted blows before springing apart, Shisui taking out a handful of shuriken and throwing them at his cousin. Itachi easily deflected each projectile and lunged towards his best friend again, trying to kick Shisui's side but the older man dodged, attempting a punch to Itachi's gut, also dodged. "Your death has been haunting me for years. I am glad to finally have one more chance to talk to you, to finally get clouser."

"Itachi, you need to get out of here!" The older of the Uchihas insisted instead, dodging another kick, aimed at his head this time, before moving in with his kunai still in hand to slit Itachi's torso. The long haired man jumped back before the tip of the kunai could graze even his cloak, weaving hand signs mid air and finishing the Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu just when he landed. Shisui spent a whole minute running away from and dodging the fireballs hurtling towards him, being careful - despite _wanting_ to be defeated - not to get hit. "It's too dangerous! We can't be killed like this!"

"I am well aware," Itachi replied, blocking a kick aimed at his mid section when Shisui used his Shunshin no Jutsu that he was so famed for to get in his space again. Itachi dropped to the ground and spun around, hoping to sweep Shisui's feet from under him but the short haired Uchiha jumped back with a flip, returning Itachi's earlier fire with his own Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu. "That's why I need to stop you. It is the only way I can now repay your kindness, your friendship, your protection and your loyalty to me." The younger Uchiha said as he dodged the giant fireball, bursting into crows when Shisui reappeared in front of him again and made a stab that would have been fatal had that truly been Itachi.

"I made a promise to you that night," Shisui replied, dodging the shuriken Itachi sent his way and evading them only by using a replacement jutsu. Itachi's shurikenjutsu was practically unavoidable. He can hit targets dead on center even from his blind spot, like he had demonstrated when he hit all of Pein's summons' eyes. "A promise I gladly kept to my last dying breath. But now I cannot keep that promise. It is beyond my ability." As if to demonstrate his point, his eyes suddenly stung and he knew, without a doubt, that his Mangekyo Sharingan had just reactivated again. "Itachi! Don't look in my eyes!" He screamed desperately, knowing that if the other did, he would be lost.

"You are still loyal to me. Look. You are trying to protect me yet again." The ex Akatsuki pointed out, stubbornly looking directly _at_ Shisui's eyes as they exchanged another parry of blows. "But you _need_ to stop doing that, Shisui." He insisted, dodging a blow meant for his head that would have surely broken his elegant nose had it landed. "I have fought this silent battle by myself many years now." He finally delivered a kick to Shisui's chest, making him slide backwards across the dry earth, raising some dust.

"You don't understand!" Shisui yelled desperately, taking out more kunai and throwing them at his best friend and younger cousin, who either dodged or blocked them with his own kunai. " _He_ wants _you_!" He revealed, running at Itachi again, the two Uchiha meeting each other in the middle once more, but Itachi ducked down and delivered a powerful punch to the reanimated one's stomach. Had he still been alive and breathing, all the air would have been knocked out of him. As it was, Shisui just made a grab for the other's neck collar and flung him across the field. "Ever since you arrived! He _wants_ you, Itachi! And he's going to make me use Kotoamatsukami to get you!" He suddenly flickered out of sight again, appearing behind Itachi and trapping his arms behind him. "I can't stop myself!"

"Then don't," the other instructed, not even trying to fight, obviously having planned for Shisui to do this. "Can you use both eyes for it?" He asked as Shisui burried his hand into Itachi's silky hair, wincing a little when it was pulled on.

"No," Shisui replied in a panicking voice, using all of his willpower to keep his eyes closed tight. "I attempted it earlier but it ended up being on a clone."

"Then _do_ it, Shisui." Itachi ordered, easily letting his head be tipped back so far that, should Shisui open his eyes, they could look directly into each other's orbs. He didn't struggle and already had his gaze fixed on the closed eyelids of his best friend.

"Itachi, I _refuse_ to hand you over like that!" The older protested but he could feel more and more of his willpower slipping away as the reanimation jutsu pressured him more and more to open his eyes.

The prodigy of the Uchiha Clan reached out behind him, tugging Shisui's head closer, insistently fisting the short locks of raven colored hair so that his cousin would open his eyes. " _Trust me_ , Shisui." He insisted gently but firmly. An order. Something he was used to giving Kisame during their partnership. Equals in 'rank' they might be, Kisame still deferred to anything and everything Itachi said, despite the many years of an age gap between them. "It's the only way to keep Konoha safe from your jutsu." He reasoned, tugging once more on his elder's hair.

"I will _not_ sacrifice _you_ for Konoha!" Shisui insistently hissed in his ear and Itachi sighed.

"You _must_ waste the jutsu on me, Shisui." He tilted his head a bit more so his forehead rested on Shisui's cheek for a brief moment. "I know what I am doing and what I am asking of you." He whispered his next words as convincingly as he ever could, like when he told Shisui he'd want to stop wars and fighting from ever occurring, when they first trained together when he was six. "Trust in me."

Unwilling to seem like he didn't trust his cousin, Shisui very reluctantly gave in and allowed his eyes to open, watching with panic and sorrow as his Kotoamatsukami took immediate affect, Itachi growing subtly stiffer for but a fraction of a second and his irises shrinking almost unnoticeably had they not been standing so close together and intently looking into each other's eyes as they were. He let go of his cousin not of his own free will and Itachi immediately turned to where the two Jinchuuriki were watching, Naruto stiffening almost immediately when he saw that Itachi was looking at them with his Mangekyo Sharingan active, his right eye shedding tears of blood that usually meant only one thing.

"Shit! He's about to use the Amaterasu!" The blond yelled to his larger companion, scrambling to his feet so he can possibly escape the all consuming black flames that would no doubt kill them both. He knew that with Itachi as their enemy, too, not only were they outnumbered but they were outclassed, too. He knew how Itachi died. He knew he was still undefeated in combat. They had no chance against these three. "We need to get out of here!"

But just before the black flames could be released, the cowing of a crow drew their attention to the above mentioned bird as it came fluttering down to Itachi's eye level. It kept afloat there for a long moment, almost a whole minute, seemingly just staring the Uchiha down before they both blinked and Itachi seemed to relax, his iris returning to its normal color. He still used his Amaterasu, but it was now pointed to the finally recovered Nagato behind them, setting the older Uzumaki aflame and making him stumble backwards and away from the two biju vessels. Itachi then whirled around with startling speed, took hold of Shisui's head gently but firmly with one hand and leaned his own head towards his cousin's until their foreheads were touching and there was no way for the older man to avoid eye contact. Too startled to react, Shisui soon found himself within a dark world, black and white, with a giant vermilion moon overhead with the tomoe of the Sharingan on it. He was tied down to a log and before him stood Itachi as he had been the last time he saw the younger man on the night of his death, thirteen and in his ANBU uniform.

"I am sorry to pull you in here, Shisui," the copy of Itachi said without any expression on his face or any emotion in his voice. "But this was the only way."

"You had it all planned out, didn't you?" Shisui asked with relief in his voice, realizing that here, he was under no one's control but Itachi's, feeling that what he experiences here will be something only he sees and hears and that his summoner won't get any of this. Here, they could talk without any constrictions to keep secrets, time not withstanding. What Shisui didn't know was that Itachi can make a lifetime of eighty years pass in here within a nanosecond back in the real world. Such was the amazing power of the Tsukuyomi, Itachi's own unique doujutsu. Of course, it was usually meant for torturing people or knocking them unconscious, which is exactly what it will do to Shisui once Itachi releases it. It will leave him with only one opponent to fight, something Itachi is grateful for. He will need all his focus on Nagato if he wants to defeat him in his current state, as immortal as he was since he was already dead and couldn't be killed again. "You had planned to do this from the very start."

"Yes," Shisui's host in this dimension admitted. "I have sensed you since you were summoned with Nagato-kun and the others, Shisui. I knew you were there so I knew that there was the chance of you using your Kotoamatsukami on me. However, I still had your eye." The images of the night Shisui had given his eye to Itachi and his crow flashed in the background, across the sky in this strange illusionary world. "It's been long enough for the eye to recover from your last use of your jutsu. As long as you had already used your other eye, I knew I could escape the Kotoamatsukami's control. This place, however," he gestured to the black space around them and Shisui took the chance to look around. "This place is inescapable. Once captured in here, you can only leave when I let you out. This is my ultimate doujutsu, the Tsukuyomi."

"I can feel its power," Shisui commented with an impressed smile. "And you mastered the Susanoo, too. I always knew you were exceptional."

"Perhaps," Itachi noncommittally admitted in a tone that suggested he would have shrugged had he been less polite for such an action. "I must leave you here, though. I have another battle to fight."

"What will happen to me?" The older shinobi asked curiously as Itachi started disappearing from his sight but he could still hear his voice perfectly.

"Tsukuyomi and the world it creates, _this_ world, are my personal torture chamber." Itachi said, earning an arched eyebrow from his cousin who always only knew him as a pacifist. He just couldn't imagine Itachi torturing people. But he had not seen how the life on the run had changed the younger Uchiha. It was not nearly as much as it changed others, but his Tsukuyomi could be particularly sadistic that Hidan tried converting him to Jashinism. "Whatever I show someone here in one second of real time can last any number of hours, days, months and years in here. The brain cannot deal with such stimuli and automatically shuts down on its own to preserve my captive's sanity." He avoided mentioning that anything over twenty years in a second kills a person in an instant or at the very least leaves them all but brain dead with no hopes of ever recovering. The time he had experimented with the eighty years in a nanosecond, that person's brain kind of just ... literally turned to mush and dripped out of his ear. Even Hidan had been sickened by the sight and no one but Kisame and Pein had dared look Itachi in the eye for _weeks_. "Torture usually has a longer after effect, sometimes a person needs over a month to recover, sometimes just a few days. Taking people down memory lane usually kept them under for a day at most and an hour at the very least. Since you have the Mangekyo Sharingan, too, it might last a little less than an hour, but that is all the time I need to find a way to stop you and Nagato-kun."

"He's very fond of you." Shisui said as his world suddenly started shifting and he found himself watching his memories like a film on a big movie screen, seeing his twelve year old self walking through the woods, following the sound of kunai hitting their target, seeing himself look around a tree and observe the six year old Uchiha Itachi as he trained his infamous shurikenjutsu.

"He is," and Itachi's voice was fond, too, as it slowly faded away, leaving Shisui with his memories and the living Uchiha returning to the real world. Itachi released Shisui's head and easily caught his cousin's slumped form, carefully laying him down on the soft grass. Itachi sighed before standing up, facing the two Jinchuuriki once more, his crow coming to stand on his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, it is good to see you again."

All the blond in question could do was gape. "S-shouldn't you be dead?" Was all he could ask while Killer B scratched the back of his head, completely lost as to what was going on. He wasn't used to dealing with Uchihas and their peculiar brand of strangeness.

Itachi opened his mouth to answer but saw Nagato getting back up again and knew all conversation will have to wait. Instead, he used the gravitational powers he'd been gifted with by the very man he was about to fight to remove Naruto and Killer B from their soon to be battle ground, earning a yelp from both tailed beast vessels. "Now is not the time," he told them gravely, stepping towards his once Leader. "We'll talk a little later, Naruto-kun, Killer B." He could feel the rings glowing from within the depths of his crimson irises from using his new powers, the powers he knew he will _have_ to use in order to fight Nagato as he was. Well, not really _have_ to but it _will_ be a lot easier. "Right now, I have different business to deal with."

Nagato just stared, his eyes dim and unfocused.

Itachi prepared himself, letting his new chakra reserves build up and the new powers come to surface should he need them.

They just stood there, for a long moment, staring each other down, Itachi's crow flying over to watch from Naruto's shoulder and provide Itachi with one more view.

Then, as if something had struck them like electricity, both former Akatsuki members lunger forward, a hand extended towards each other.

"Shinra Tensei!" They both yelled out.

The battle was on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

"Shinra Tensei!" Both Itachi and Nagato yelled, thrusting their palms in front of themselves, towards each other as the great repulsive forces from both shinobi collided, creating a rather large crater in the middle of the clearing by the lake they were fighting in. The shock wave of the collision pushed them both a good five meters away from the crater but neither S-rank criminal stayed there for long, Nagato summoning his Giant Multi-Headed Dog and the Giant Drill Beaked Bird while Itachi moved to attack him up close, using genjutsu to confuse him to the best of his ability. It wasn't easy, since Nagato, even under the strongest of illusions, could still easily feel chakra around him due to his great sensory abilities.

The giant dog was the first to attack Itachi, trying to stomp down on the Uchiha but Itachi either dodged its massive paws or pushed them away from him with more bursts of Shinra Tensei. When the bird joined in, Itachi resorted to the good old Amaterasu, burning both summons to ashes and then to nothingness, since the black flames were hotter than the sun and burned even atoms until _nothing_ was left. Nagato escaped from the giant bird at the last minute and landed a few feet away from Itachi, sending out strange metallic ropes to wrap around the prodigy with his use of the Asura Path, pointing a gun at the raven's head. But Itachi burst into a swarm of crows and disappeared from within his grasp, reappearing behind Nagato and placing a single palm on his back. It glowed purple and Nagato gasped when he felt his chakra suddenly being sucked out of him. He whirled around as best as he could and dislodged Itachi, attempting to do the same with his own Preta Path, but the Sharingan user just burst into another flock of crows and reappeared far out of his reach.

Seemingly growing tired of the games being played, the summoned of the Edo Tensei ordered Nagato to summon the King of Hell and attempt to steal Itachi's soul and body with it so he can make an Edo Tensei fighter out of the prodigy as well. Having no power to stop the Human Path other than to destroy the King of Hell itself, Itachi set about to Amaterasu the thing but Nagato kept attacking him with all his other Paths, making it rather difficult to take aim. Itachi quickly put his hands together and made a single hand seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he calmly said and four more Itachis appeared, all five of the scattering around, darting in to kick or punch or stab Pein at seemingly random intervals, distracting the redhead from protecting the King of Hell. When one of his Shadow Clones actually managed to push Nagato a few feet away from the statue, the real Itachi darted in, his Mangekyo Sharingan ready. "Amaterasu." The statue caught fire as easily as anything else ever had, burning out of existence within a few seconds. Itachi, however, grunted when he was suddenly thrust hard against a nearby tree, having been hit with a Shinra Tensei from Nagato.

"Bansho Ten'in!" Just as suddenly as he had been pushed by an invisible force, that's how easily he was now drawn in by it, hurtling at a frightening speed towards Nagato's outstretched hand, Itachi's Sharingan informing him that if he continued traveling on this path that that hand will wrap directly around his throat and strangle him to death. So Itachi once again thrust his hand out and delivered another Shinra Tensei at Nagato, sending the Uzumaki back and letting up his control on Itachi. The Uchiha fell to the ground, winded but alright.

Itachi looked up when he felt Nagato raise to his feet again, gritting his teeth despite his tension not showing on the surface. He had the powers of three Paths while Nagato had the powers of all Six. The fight, under any normal circumstances, would have already been on Nagato's side, never mind now that he can't be injured, let alone killed. And despite Itachi now having greater chakra reserves and him still using his impeccable chakra control to use only the minimal amount needed to preform these jutsus, using Susanoo, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu as much as he had still lapped up a good portion of his chakra. If this continues for much longer, Itachi will be reduced to his original levels of chakra and while that might be enough against a mortal Nagato, against this Edo Tensei it might as well be suicide. He needed to end this as soon as possible, but he first needed a moment to _think_ up that way to end this as soon as possible.

So he put his hands together in front of himself, weaving signs at such speed that his fingers were nothing more than a blur to the normal and even to the Sharingan eye, before putting his fingers in front of his mouth to breathe fire. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" The fireballs hurtled at Nagato and he raised one hand, intending to use the Preta Path to absorb the technique, but Itachi made the fireballs change direction at the last moment, arching around where the absorption would happen and to the sides of the Rinnegan user. Nagato quickly rose both his hands parallel to his sides and started absorbing the fireballs, but Itachi wasn't done yet. "Katon: Gokakyo no Jutsu!" The purple eyed man looked up just as the giant fireball almost reached him, extending his field of absorption and holding it like that until all of the fire was absorbed.

However, those fireballs had not been an attack, but rather a distraction! Something Pein soon found out when the very solid Yata Mirror easily passed through his absorption area and flung Nagato onto the other side of the lake. He skidded across the surface of the water and along the dirt on the other side before slamming into a tree. There was a small cloud of dust. Nothing moved.

"Alright! That was _insane_!" Naruto cheered from where he and Killer B had been dumped before the seemingly brief battle had begun.

"You sure are cool, fool!" The would be raper rhymed and Naruto sweat dropped before focusing on his ex teammate's supposed to be dead older brother.

"You _could_ explain now." He suggested but Itachi raised a hand to stop him from asking any questions.

"Before I answer your questions, you need to answer mine first." Naruto would have protested, had he not known what it was going to be about. The younger Uzumaki just nodded and Itachi asked what he knew he would. "What of Sasuke?"

"He found out about your super secret mission."

"Super secret mission?" Killer B repeated, lost all over again. Who knew Konoha shinobi could be so troublesome and complicated. Itachi's eyes widened a friction but he let the whisker scarred boy to continue.

"He now understands your resolve and pain, no doubt, but instead of following your wishes and protecting Konoha, he chose to take revenge against the village by joining the Akatsuki in hopes of attacking and destroying the village. It's his way to avenge the pain and suffering his beloved older brother went through at the hands of Konoha." The blond's words were almost a whisper by now and Itachi's face had went completely blank.

"I see." Was all the Uchiha said, drawing Naruto's gaze back up to look at the Uchiha.

"So it's true, what Madara told us?"

"How many people know about this? Do the villagers know?" Itachi asked instead, dreading that all his hard work was for nothing, that the people have found out about the coup d'tat, that all he and Shisui have went through and sacrificed was for nothing, that he had tortured his little brother and killed his clan for naught, hat Shisui's death, and even his own, were meaningless.

Naruto knew from those two questions that, without a doubt, what Madara had said was true. Itachi really _wasn't_ the bad guy he had been pretending to be for all those years. Eight years, being hunted by his fellow Leaf shinobi just to protect them from war, making his little brother hate him so Sasuke will have something that will keep him moving forward, a purpose, a goal, deceiving the Akatsuki and providing the village with necessary information to fight back and take them down ... Naruto felt suck to his stomach as he recalled every bad thought or word he had ever had to say or think in regards to Uchiha Itachi. Itachi was no one of all that great importance in Naruto's life. They had met and conversed a few times in the past five years and this is the reaction he has, simply for disliking the man since he was technically the reason Sasuke left the village. Imagining what Sasuke had went through when he found out ... No wonder he had been so unstable as of late. It must be eating away at him from the inside, the guilt.

"There had been no proof to confirm what Madara said, so Kakashi-sensei kept it between us. That is, between myself, himself and Yamato. That's the group that had been there when he told the story. The only others that I am aware of that know of your true story seem to be Sasuke, Madara, that freaky plant guy and Kisame."

Itachi snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his lover's name. "Kisame?"

"Um, yeah. You didn't want him to know?" The blond rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, not sure how to go about this anymore. Itachi had been an enemy for as long as Naruto knew of him. To now know he really _was_ an ally ... Well, it was still weird, okay?

"Oh, no. Kisame actually knew for years." The Uchiha waved him off. "I told him myself. I mean, did you see him recently?"

"Oh, yeah!" The Uzumaki replied almost cheerfully. "We had him trapped and wanted to question him about the Akatsuki just last week, dattebayo, but he ran off. He'd apparently been searching for your body. Something you have _yet_ to explain, the whole not being dead thing."

"We can deal with that later, gator." Killer B interrupted, pointing towards where Nagato had been flung and Itachi and Naruto turned to see the redhead had recovered and had just formed a black receiver.

"Shit." Naruto cursed softly, remembering the technique that was sure to follow.

Itachi couldn't agree more.

00000

"What, exactly, are you doing here, Hoshigaki?" Terumi Mei asked incredulously when, out of nowhere, said shark nin had appeared just before she was to leave with her fellow Kage to the battlefield to fight Madara. Kisame turned around and grinned at the Godaime Mizukage, showing off his very sharp teeth.

"Hello, Mizukage-sama. I didn't expect to run in to you so soon. I am actually here to see the Hokage." The blue man replied cheerfully, shifting the Samehada on his shoulder casually. "I thought I might offer my assistance in this battle. If not on the battlefield itself - I have a feeling you wouldn't trust me out there - then at least to give some advice about the Sharingan."

"What?" The confused woman asked, staring at her missing nin uncomprehendingly, not knowing what to think. For all she knew, this man was supposed to be their enemy. He was supposed to be on the _other_ guy's side! Yet here he was, seemingly offering advice. Advice they could _really_ use. "And just how would you have any information on the Sharingan?"

"Because his partner was none other than Uchiha Itachi." A different voice behind the blue man said and Mei and Kisame turned around to see a rather tense Hatake Kakashi and Yamato standing there, the silver haired man being the one who had spoken. "Any advice he'd give us could be more accurate than any books and rumors we have to go by."

"And he's trustworthy." Yamato added, but still carefully eying the ex Akatsuki. He was now wearing his old clothes from when he was in the Mist, possibly what he had always been wearing under his Akatsuki cloak. The tight muscle shirt, black pants and light blue arm warmers on his forearms were mostly covered by the black travel cloak he now wore instead of the Akatsuki coat. He still had his slashed hitai-ate on his forehead, though. "The last time we saw him, he was already against the Akatsuki. Sasuke and another member had come to take him away and they hadn't appeared all that friendly."

"They weren't," the older man said with a derisive snort. "They would have either tried to get me to tell them where Itachi-san might be or try to use me against him."

Kakashi arched an eyebrow when he heard this, staring at the blue man with interest. "You are talking as though Itachi were alive."

Kisame shot the Copy Nin a grin. "It's very likely."

"But I thought the Uchiha was dead?" The Mizukage questioned, staring between the three men that had, at one point, been all very important people to Itachi in his life. The only differences between them were very few but very noticeable. For instance, Kisame wasn't from Konoha and was possibly the only person alive who had seen Itachi cry, even if under the illusionary curtain of rain to mask it. He was also the only person alive to know _all_ of the man's secrets, too. Kakashi was the only one currently sharing a nickname and almost the same fearsome reputation as Itachi. He was, besides maybe the Nara, the only one alive who could match Itachi's intellect. And Yamato was perhaps the only person alive who had the same level of patience as the older Uchiha brother, not to mention that he was also the only one who could possibly understand what it must have been like for Itachi to be under Danzo's thumb. Only difference between him and the Sharingan master was that Itachi had managed to wriggle free on his own power and terms while Yamato had needed Kakashi's help. They were also both insanely young when they joined the ANBU.

Kisame snorted again. "If Madara was sure Itachi-san, who he _knows_ is undefeated, was dead as he'd like him to be, he wouldn't be making such a ruckus out there." When he got blank looks from his conversation partners, the blue ninja sighed in exasperation. "Madara knows next to nothing about Itachi-san's techniques and skills, only that he's a damn good fighter who has never been injured before he all but let Sasuke almost kill him-"

"But how did he-"

"He died of a terminal illness," he interrupted the expected confused question from the only female in this particularly interesting conversation. "Anyway, Madara knows Itachi-san is good and he _knows_ just how powerful Itachi-san's eyes are. But he doesn't know what to expect from Itachi-san. All throughout our partnership and his stay with the Akatsuki as a whole, Itachi-san only used three or four fire techniques, his shurikenjutsu, fought with his katana every once in a blue moon and would occasionally use his Sharingan. The Mangekyo he used even more rarely. Amaterasu _can_ , to a point, be evaded and it's a jutsu all Uchiha can use. Tsukuyomi, however, even _Madara_ fears, as we have no idea if anything can stop it from taking effect. I have yet to see anyone withstand the Tsukuyomi and that thing can be quite deadly, too. Madara wouldn't want to risk being stuck in that place." He shrugged casually. "Not to mention that Itachi is the first person who has mastered one of the techniques only Madara can use involving the Mangekyo Sharingan and is, as such, even more of a threat to him since he can meet him on equal ground."

"What would that be?" Yamato asked curiously, wondering what jutsu he was talking about that could be so dangerous that a person would need to know in order to fight Madara.

"It's the Susanoo," a new female voice stated and they turned around to see Tsunade walking up to them with a serious expression on her face. "Isn't it." It wasn't a question, but a statement. She didn't even bat an eyelid at Kisame's presence, so she had either been informed of his sudden, unexpected appearance or she didn't care at the moment. "It's the only technique that only Madara and Izuna of the Uchiha Clan could use and that used to devastate my grandfather's and great uncle's forces in the Uchiha-Senju war. The ultimate defense."

"The technique Sasuke uses?" Gaara appeared behind her, standing on her right. The Kazekage had a very grave look on his face. He _had_ just returned from fighting the reanimated version of his father, not long ago. He wasn't going to be an all that happy camper right now.

"Yeah, that's it. Although I have no idea how well that little bastard uses it and I don't give a flying fuck." When he got many raised eyebrows at this, the former Swordsman of the Mist just shrugged. "I have a years long grudge against Uchiha Sasuke that I would rather not explain right now. Let's just say the brat's an ungrateful little prick and the worst brother in the history of the world and leave it at that, yes? Good." Kakashi got a good idea of why Kisame thought as much but didn't bring it up, letting the matter drop.

"So Itachi is alive and is going to fight for Konoha?" The blond woman asked, crossing her arms and regarding the shark like man.

"Yes."

"You're sure of this?" She questioned again and Kisame grinned at her, the expression a bit more on the feral side.

"Itachi-san sent me a message a week ago, one that made it clear he was coming to protect you ungrateful pricks and that if I wanted to see him again, I should come here. Itachi-san doesn't make idle threats _or_ empty promises. Whatever he's doing right now will be sure to help us and he _will_ come when he thinks the time is right. Until then, I am here to help out. And if you need any more assurances that Itachi-san _is_ alive," Hoshigaki suddenly turned sober and glared over their heads in the direction of the battlefield, where he could sense Madara's and Tobi's chakra. " _Their_ haste to get the remaining two biju and get rid of you as soon as possible ought to be clue enough."

"I don't follow," Tsunade said as way of demanding further explanations and Kisame sighed but readily gave in.

"Their plan is called the Tsuki no Me or rather the plan to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi, so they can trap everyone in a world wide genjutsu, a dream of a happier life with no pain or suffering, to stop all the wars and lies and whatnot. It's supposed to achieve world piece. Pein wanted that, too, and bet everything on this plan. That's why we were collecting the nine biju. They're needed for this plan to work. Itachi-san, however, never liked the plan. I have no idea if his Tsukuyomi is inspired by the Infinite Tsukuyomi or not, but he is the only one who is sure to be immune to it. After all, he controls a similar power, if only on a much smaller scale. But he can manipulate his powers correctly. I think Itachi-san always suspected that Madara won't be able to do so. I don't really know. You'll have to ask Itachi-san himself." He looked down towards them again with a cross of a fond and annoyed expression. "Itachi-san seemed to always know a lot more than he was letting on or willing to share. He is against this plan so he probably knows something about it that nobody else does and he doesn't like it. He won't let this plan be executed."

Tsunade hummed in thought before nodding. "He might need some time, then." She looked towards the other two Kage before gesturing backwards with her head, probably indicating the two remaining Kages somewhere in the crowds of shinobi and the maze of weapons and scrolls and who knows what else. "We will keep Madara busy for as long as we can. We'll buy him time to come. But we won't rely solely on him. We can't afford to do that. Not with all these lives at stake."

"He'll come." Kisame said confidently but didn't argue with the Hokage. He knew his partner wouldn't like it if people died while waiting for him. He'd no doubt feel guilty. "And I'm staying right here to wait for him." He stated just as firmly. "Whether you let me fight now or not is your thing. But when Itachi-san comes, I _will_ follow him to the gates of hell." It was not a warning or a threat, but a promise, a vow. Kakashi and Yamato had to admire Kisame's loyalty to his partner. Well, they guessed it shouldn't surprise them as much as it did. Kisame _did_ leave the Akatsuki just because they wanted to take his _dead_ partner's eyes.

"Do as you please, as long as you are on our side." Tsunade answered this declaration with a small smirk. She could tell that the shark man would gladly risk his life for the Shinobi Alliance. She didn't know Itachi's story but she could see the truth in Kisame's words when he said his partner sent him here to help Konoha. She wasn't one to turn down an ally at a time like this. "I supposed you have nothing against this, Mei?" She asked of the Mizukage but the bearer of three Kekkei Genkai just smirked.

"Nothing at all."

Kisame grinned. He was allowed to stay. He was now one step closer to finally seeing Itachi-san again! Now all he had to do was wait. He knew his lover will come. Itachi's crow was not one to spread lies. He'd spent the entire week resting and had only exerted himself to go to the dock where he had met Itachi in the first place. If what the crow had shown had been a lie, then the slashed Konoha hitai-ate he found sure as hell hadn't been. Whether Leader had left there or if Itachi-san himself had sent it there by his crow for his partner, Kisame didn't know. What he _did_ know is that it was definitely Itachi's. His scent still clung to the fabric of the forehead protector and it had been comforting when Kisame had placed it to his nose. He had kept it, of course he had. He still had it on his person. It was currently hidden in his weapons pouch, safe from getting damaged or lost in the fight. He planned on giving it back to Itachi-san when they finally met up again. He hopes he just doesn't die before then.

The peaceful mood was broken when there was a heavy shift in the air and the gathered group soon found themselves joined by other jonin and, of course, the other two Kage. They had all turned their gazes up to where Madara and Tobi were standing before their eyes lowered to the army of Edo Tensei on the battlefield.

"They've come." Gaara said in a steely voice before all hell broke loose.


	8. Chapter 8

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Killer B and Naruto openly cursed as the black receiver suddenly started acting as a gravitational pull on everything around them, breaking huge chunks of earth from the ground and sucking it up towards itself, starting to make a miniature planet right over their heads. They cursed even more colorfully when they, too, along with Itachi and the still knocked out Shisui were dragged up by the attractive forces of the black receiver. Itachi wasted no time in activating his Susanoo again, catching Shisui's unresponsive body before he can be attached to the growing mass or crushed by other boulders. He landed on a bigger, slower in ascending slab of dirt and looked up at the thing the Chibaku Tensei was creating. It was nearly completely blocking out the sun.

"We need to destroy that thing before it destroys us."

"But how are we gonna do that!?" The panicking Kyuubi vessel asked of the genius, his eyes darting from the unusually calm Killer B and the always collected Uchiha. "How can you be so calm!?" He demanded of the large man but Itachi called his attention to the matter at hand.

"You must remain calm and focused, Naruto-kun." He admonished and the blond felt like a small child again under that stern gaze. "It helps analyze a situation better if you can keep a cool head."

"Well, _sorry_ for not being an _Uchiha_!" Naruto snapped but immediately regretted it. Had Itachi been anyone but himself, he would have pointed out that, had Naruto actually _been_ an Uchiha, he would be dead like the rest of the clan right about now. But since Itachi _was_ Itachi, he didn't say anything and instead focused on the matter at hand. Naruto briefly wondered if Sasuke felt as frustrated as he did in this moment, with Itachi dismissing him and ignoring him in what he felt was important. After all, he _was_ panicking ... Imagine what it was like for Sasuke, who had practically worshiped the ground Itachi walked upon. Sure, Itachi had every right to push his brother aside, having been fighting a silent war against both Danzo and his own Clan at the time, just like he was fighting a not so subtle war now against Madara and his version of the Akatsuki. But it was still frustrating and, once again, Itachi had been only a fleeting presence in Naruto's life. No wonder Sasuke was so moody. "Sorry."

"I am still unsure of some of my powers," Itachi gracefully doesn't reply to Naruto and instead of being frustrated this time around, the blond feels a bit revealed. Responses to some apologies could be quite awkward. "So instead of risking it I suggest another route. We will destroy the central mass that has this gravitational pull and let it fall apart. Prepare your strongest long range attack." The Uchiha instructed, already preparing his Yasaka Magatama to launch at the forming meteor. The other two quickly followed his actions, preparing their own techniques until they encountered one not so small problem.

"We can't aim like this!" Naruto yelled over the rushing wind of his Futon: Rasen Shuriken as he held the ball of wind over his head. And he was right. Due to the black receiver still pulling them in, the rocks or boulders they were standing on were still being quickly and rather messily drawn towards the meteor. Smaller pieces of earth tended to slam into the slower ones, such as the ones they were standing on, making it incredibly hard tk stay upright, let alone aim properly.

"What should we do? What could we do?" The glasses wearing Iwa shinobi asked and Itachi, in a rare moment of indulgence to his own curiosity, wondered if all ninjas from Iwagakure had some speech ... _uniqueness_ , for the lack of a politer word. Just remembering Deidara's rather annoying 'un's was enough to make the Uchiha want to massage the bridge of his nose before a headache could settle in.

"We don't need to aim." He called over to them calmly and authoritatively like the ANBU captain that he is. "The gravitational pull is working in our favor. We just need to fire in its general direction so that our attacks will gain enough speed to break through the earth surrounding it. The attractive forces will do the rest." Itachi dodged a rock that almost slammed into him by jumping onto a different slab of earth and looked back up at their soon to be target. ''This tactic takes advantage of the core's gravitational pull. That is its weakness.''

''I would have never thought of that, I'd just attack blind as a bat.'' Killer B admitted but prepared to attack when Itachi said to attack. The dynamic of this little impromptu team was obvious. Killer B may be the oldest one in their group and probably has more ninja experience than Naruto and Itachi combined, but he wasn't a commander.

''When I fought Pein, it seemed like he had no weaknesses to his techniques!'' Naruto marveled, pausing to just stare at the Uchiha as the winds ruffled his long, silky hair.

''Every jutsu has a weakness!'' Itachi answered over the wind, focusing now fully on the meteor. The two Jinshuuriki soon followed, recognizing it was time to end this. On Itachi's mark, the Yasaka Magatama, Bijudama and Rasenshuriken were fired by their respective creators and the three attacks hurtled towards the mass of earth. As soon as they connected, a blinding light and a deafening boom overtook the area, everything shaking like an earthquake was happening. Down bellow, Nagato raised his hand over his eyes and observed the destruction of one of his most powerful jutsus.

A twitch of his lips was the only reaction.

When the blast was over and when all the smoke cleared up, the little clearing by the lake they had been fighting in was completely destroyed. The ground was almost sizzling with the chakra that had affected it and steam was still coming out of the earth. There were fallen trees everywhere. It looked more as though a war had been fought here for months instead of a single battle for not even an hour. Nagato just stood there, not moving but his eyes trying to make out if his opponents were nearby. He was so focused up ahead of himself that he never noticed the presence behind him. Rather, he didn't allow himself to react to it.

And so the Sword of Totsuka pierced him through the chest, somehow sealing away the seal that made him obey caster of the Edo Tensei first. The dullness of his purple eyes lessened slowly then suddenly completely disappeared and Nagato found himself back in full control of his body, if only for now. He knew what was coming. There was no escaping the sealing powers of the Totsuka blade. It was perhaps the strongest sealing jutsu in existence. Not even he can evade it.

Not one to finish off his opponent without giving them the respect of facing them head on, Itachi appeared through the smoke and looked his Leader in the eye, the two Jinchuuriki hesitatingly following. Nagato looked at the young man he had considered a son for eight years and couldn't help but smile at him, at _them_... Both he and Naruto had gotten so strong. He was very proud. But with his smile, his face started cracking, his body breaking up as the Totsuka slowly started doing its job. Not even Itachi can stop it. He can only slow it down a little, probably doing so right now to give them a chance to talk. He no doubt wanted answers and explanations for his actions regarding bringing him back and giving him the power that he did. And wasn't Pein just delightfully _proud_ that Itachi seemed to be mastering those powers so well.

''Forgive me ... Itachi,'' he said and he saw the relieved looks pass the two Jinchuuriki's faces, obviously understanding that the worst was over.

''You're back,'' the Uchiha observed, seemingly tonelessly, but Nagato knew him well enough by now that the young man was hiding his emotions so he could focus on the task at hand. ''This is the Sword of Totsuka.'' He said, as if wanting to prolong the need for answers and goodbyes. He was hesitating. How unlike him. ''It seals away all it pierces, into a world of eternal genjutsu. The blade itself is imbued with a sealing jutsu. It's a sword that possesses a sealing jutsu. You will be sealed away soon.'' He hesitated again and only Nagato saw it, again. This time, it was just a bit more direct. ''Do you have any last words?''

Nagato's smile resembled more a proud smirk when he looked at the blond standing a bit behind Itachi. Naruto perked up when he saw that he was going to be addressed by his relative. ''Naruto… I'll be returning to where our master is, so I can see your story… If you ask me… You're the third part that concludes the series… The first part was Jiraiya… He was flawless… But… The second part was me, an almost complete failure… I couldn't even get our master to acknowledge me…'' He saw that his young counterpart was going to object but he shook his head, silently telling Naruto not to say anything. The blond reluctantly stayed quiet and the older Uzumaki continued. ''Ending the series is the third part… The final work will settle it all! Become such a masterpiece that that failure will be like it was canceled altogether… Naruto!"

''I promise, dattebay.'' The whisker scarred teen said in a tight voice and Pein smiled at him one last time before looking towards Itachi, the youngest of his organization, the one he had truly loved like a son he knew he will never have. The two Jinchuuriki seemed to sense something important was going to happen so they stayed quiet, looking from the redhead to the raven haired genius. Nagato's smile was a lot softer now and it had a different feeling to it. It was like Nagato was at peace, content to just be where he currently was, even if he was about to be sealed away until the Edo Tensei was released.

''I am glad to see my contingency worked, Itachi.'' The weasel in question tensed a bit, seeing that now was the time for their own talk. ''It is a relief. I was unsure if just one of those bodies would have been enough. It was a lot of power for a corpse to handle.''

''Why have you done this, Nagato-kun?'' The Uchiha questioned gravely. ''My fate was sealed the day I killed my clan. I have done much and sacrificed _too much_ for that fate to be reversed. Why interfere, especially if you knew I was giving away the information on Akatsuki?''

''I already told you, Itachi.'' The Rinnegan user said, smile still in place but his tone a bit sadder. ''You are special. The darkness and pain left their mark on you, yes, but they never managed to change you. You remained who you are, not matter what difficulties you have been forced to face. Your selflessness knew no bounds and you were ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for your brother and village ... But that would be a stupid move in regards to the rest of the world.''

''What are they talking about?'' The older biju vessel asked the younger but the Leaf ninja could just shrug. He had never even thought that the Akatsuki members could be close to each other. He had always only seen them as villains. He guessed he should have changed his perspective as soon as he had heard Itachi's story or when Kisame had told them he had quit the organization in order to preserve his dead partner's dignity by not allowing Madara to gauge out his eyes. He really should have guessed that even they had made some bonds over the time they spent together.

''You are still needed here, Itachi.'' Nagato continued his answer. ''Madara's plans might not be what he expects. People will need your help and your guidance through the illusions others have cast. I have only ever known one person who can see illusions within illusions or illusions within the very truth of the world. Only you, Itachi. It is the responsibility of the powerful to protect the powerless.''

''Indeed it is,'' the genius agreed. ''But I was not powerful. You gave me power. It should have been you, Nagato. It would have redeemed your heart.''

The redhead just shook his head. ''Your Mangekyo Sharingan might have taken away your sight, Itachi, but it was I who was blind all along. My hatred blinded me but your love set you free. Your love and loyalty redeemed you Itachi and so only love and loyalty could redeem me. I could have saved Konan, but she was trying to save you, too. So I could only redeem myself by giving the world back its leading light and making it stronger so everyone can see it, so everyone will follow it.'' The Uzumaki suddenly lost his smile and became very serious, staring the younger man down. ''The peace I wanted was one through tyranny, everything you always wanted to avoid, the reason why you killed your own family. There was nothing connecting us, only our belief in peace, but we were still somehow on the same wavelength even when I talked about world domination and war for peace while you played peacemaker. I knew you were a genius. I should have asked for your council rather than just blindly following Madara.''

''Madara has a way of using his words to make others follow him blindly. Kisame was in a similar predicament until he met me.'' Itachi revealed, clenching his fists. ''Madara promised him a world of peace and no lairs, but the world Madara wants is nothing more but a dangerous illusion. It is not a world that I can allow to come about.''

''I understand.'' Nagato said gently. ''And this is why you must stay here, Itachi. People need someone to tell them how to see for themselves instead of living in an illusion because they don't want to see the horrors and lies of the world.''

''Sometimes those illusions are far safer for everyone involved.''

''Not this one.''

''Not this one,'' Itachi confirmed with a nod. He arched an eyebrow when Nagato outstretching his hand and motioned him to come closer. He ignored Naruto's and Killer B's worried looks and came to stand in front of the once Leader of the Akatsuki as Nagato placed a hand on his head and messed up his hair a bit. His eyes widened when he felt Nagato's chakra racing through his body. ''What-''

''You are healed.'' Nagato sounded relieved. ''Your eyesight indeed has returned with the powers I gave you. And you seem to be mastering them well.''

''Leader-sama-''

Pein tutted at him. ''Didn't I tell you not to call me that when we are alone?'' He could have sworn he saw a little flush come over Itachi's cheeks at the reprimand. ''Although, perhaps, as your Leader-sama, I should give you this one last order.'' The Uchiha looked at him inquisitively, for once confused about what was going on and Nagato smiled at him. Much like Naruto had been in the end, this boy, now a young man, who he had known from the tender age of thirteen, had been his salvation from the very beginning. He had never understood why both he and Konan had taken such an immediate liking to him. Perhaps it is because he, like them, had witnessed war at its ugliest at a very young age? Perhaps it is the innocence that still managed to _somehow_ cling to him in his belief that peace like the one he imagines is possible? Perhaps it is the pain he had experienced yet remained unchanged despite it and he and Konan had wanted to keep it that way? It was still unclear to him, even in death, All he knew is that he had always relied on Itachi's gentle heart to save what was left of his own. Itachi was truly his salvation, as bringing him back to save the world from the chaos it had thrown itself into was his redemption. ''Akatsuki no Itachi,'' he stated formally, drawing Itachi's attention fully onto him at the title he had given him when the boy had first entered that cave, eight years ago. ''I want you to live to the best of your abilities. And don't live just for yourself but also for all those you, _we_ , have lost. It is time that you are happy, Itachi. You deserved it.''

''We may differ on that matter,'' Itachi started and ignored all protests from both Uzumakis and instead prowled on like he had planned. ''But this is an order I will not even try to disobey.'' He gave his Leader a small smile and there was a noticeably sad edge to it. ''Say hi to Konan-san and the others for me.''

Nagato just nodded with a smile. ''I leave it all to you, then, Itachi.'' And in a perfect imitation of the last time Itachi had seen him, Nagato turned the color of earth and started falling apart but the Totsuka sword caught him around the middle and dragged him into its gourd, sealing him up. Itachi looked sadly at it and then at his still unconscious friend. He knew he couldn't leave Shisui unattended like this. Not when he was still very dangerous, even without his Kotoamatsukami. Itachi knew firsthand just how good of a ninja Shisui was.

''I am sorry, my friend. We do not get out final goodbye this time, either.'' He said sadly and directed his Susanoo to stab Shisui as well. He didn't look away as his friend was sucked into the gourd to rest there until the Edo Tensei was released. He sighed when it was done and deactivated his Susanoo and his Mangekyo Sharingan, but his eyes still stayed red. The chakra he had absorbed from Nagato during their fight had definitely given him quite the boost.

''Itachi.'' He heard Naruto calling him and turned to look at the blond Jinchuuriki. ''I think we need to talk.''

''Perhaps.'' He acknowledged with a nod as his crow came back to land on his shoulder again. He knew he ought to destroy it but he was unable to do so. It had been his loyal companion since he was five and jumping off of a cliff in order to see what it was supposed to mean that life was meaningless. ''But we will have time for that later. Right now, I have to find the one who is summoning these reanimations.''

''Do you even know who they are?'' The blond asked curiously and Itachi nodded.

''When Shisui used his genjutsu on me, the thing it commanded me to do was follow Yashiro Kabuto's orders. And now that I know whose chakra I am looking for, I can sense him. He is several miles away from here.''

''You can sense him?'' It was killer B who asked this question now, surprised someone could sense another's chakra so far away. Itachi nodded again.

''When Nagato-kun revived me four weeks ago, he shared some of his powers with me to make sure I survived. One of the powers I have gained is his sensory ability. Still not quite as sharp as his, but sharper and broader than almost any other shinobi's.''

''So you'll be going to face him?'' Naruto asked, sounding a bit worried. ''Will you be okay? I was kind of hoping you'll come along so that Sasuke can see you. He's no doubt with Madara and Tobi...''

Itachi smiled and shook his head this time. ''I have left Sasuke to you, Naruto-kun. I believe you to be the best to take care of Sasuke. I have not changed my opinion on the matter. But remember, you don't have to do everything alone. You must not forget your friends. Let them share your burden. However strong you become, never seek to bear everything alone. If you do, failure is certain. You don't become the Hokage to be acknowledged by everyone. The one who is acknowledged by everyone becomes the Hokage.''

With that, in his typical manner of bursting into crows that fly away before you can blink, Itachi was gone, leaving the two Jinchuuriki to blink in his wake.

''THAT WAS ONE COOL DUDE, DUDE!''


	9. Chapter 9

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Sasuke had just finished off the last of Zetsu's copies, marveling at the power of his new eyes that had once belonged to his father, when he noticed a disturbance in the forest not far away in the form of a flock of crows. He couldn't help but frown at that. He knew the battle was in a whole other direction from where the crows were flying towards, so he knew it couldn't be a ninja's doing. Well, unless that ninja had been sent on a different mission, perhaps gathering intell or sharing information? No. All messengers were also sent into battle. After all, Madara was more than a handful, even for the entire army of the Five Nations and their Kages.

Sasuke felt it was fitting, really. These eyes that allowed him to see again ... They were his father's and they will see Konoha fall and the Uchiha's disgrace avenged. Sure, it would have been better if they were Itachi's. Madara had told him that, since Itachi had developed his Mangekyo Sharingan to the point he was on par with Madara himself, his eyes would have made him a lot more powerful. Itachi's eyes were far more powerful than Fugaku's. They saw and perceived more than their father's eyes ever could, even without the Sharingan, let alone the Mangekyo Sharingan. Sasuke wondered if their father could even do the Amaterasu. He knew Susanoo was out of the question. Madara has said Itachi was the first person in a century to have mastered it. Knowing how smart his brother was, he wasn't surprised. He had seen it himself, the red warrior made of Itachi's potent chakra. He had been scared shitless and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. Itachi seemed to have gotten used to playing the bad guy.

Speaking of Itachi, wasn't he one of the rare few who used crows in his jutsus? Actually, wasn't he the _only one_ who used them as his _kuchiyose_? He remembered Itachi always having at least one crow following him around, although they tended to come in flocks when the Uchiha prodigy was around. He had always wondered what that was about, but that, like many other things in regards to his beloved Nii-san, will stay a mystery because Sasuke was an idiot and he hadn't noticed that his brother was being pushed into s corner. But these crows weren't Itachi, right? Right? Right. Sasuke was sure of that. Still, he was curious and it won't be all that bad to check it out, just in case it was an enemy shinobi.

So he took off into the forest, darting around here and there until he was darting in between the trees with relative ease, his Sharingan allowing him to estimate how far along he was until he was to reach his target when something suddenly darted past him, heading in the opposite direction. Rather, _someone_! Someone with long, smooth black hair, pale skin and some cloak or something as white as snow ... Sasuke turned around swiftly and darted after the other ninja, for that is all they could be with their speed. And Sasuke would recognize the back of that head anywhere. Ever since he could remember, Itachi had always been walking away from him, towards some place unknown, too far out of his young reach for Sasuke to be walking shoulder to shoulder with him. Besides Itachi's eyes, the back of Itachi's head is one of Sasuke's most vivid memories. So he couldn't mistake the back of the person in front of him as anyone else other than his older brother.

"Oi, wait!" He yelled towards the other ninja, trying to get his attention. The other didn't react at all, seemingly uninterested in the Uchiha chasing after him. "Is that you, Itachi!?" Still no answer, no reaction. Sasuke hated this, the thought that Itachi was either ignoring him or was under the same damned jutsu some of the other dead ninja were. He wouldn't be able to take that. ''I said ... Wait!'' Sasuke yelled, activating his new Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and forming a hand of his Susanoo, making a grab for the retreating figure. The man before him looked behind himself and a red Susanoo hand appeared as well, swatting away the purple one as though it was nothing but an annoying insect.

''This Susanoo ... '' A wide eyed Sasuke mumbled to himself before his eyes narrowed and he all but glared at the retreating form. ''So you are Itachi!''

''I can't stop right now.'' Itachi called back to the younger Uchiha, not even bothering to greet him properly or explain how he was not dead. He was a bit surprised with hte Susanoo he could see. He had not thought that Sasuke would be able to master it. Not in such a short period of time. But, then again, the Sharingan had always been good at copying jutsus. Itachi personally had never used his eyes for such a purpose. He had no need to. His memory was incredible enough on its own to remember every hand seal that was being made and his understanding of chakra allowed him to understand every jutsu that he sees. Add in his exceptional chakra control into the mix and Itachi could easily learn any jutsu without the help of the Sharingan. ''There's something I've got to do.''

''I don't care!'' Sasuke snapped back. ''You're here before me and I have a lot of questions I want you to answer!'' He yelled as he continued chasing after his brother but at least he deactivated his Susanoo, too. It would only be a waste of chakra right now. ''What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!''

The elder Uchiha repressed a flinch at how those words sounded and Sasuke regretted his own wording as soon as he realized what that sounded like, too. That's not how he wants to talk with his brother anymore. He knew the truth now. Itachi didn't deserve this sort of treatment.

''This is Nagato-kun's jutsu, or rather, its results.'' Itachi still answered. ''I really don't have the time to explain it right now. I am busy.''

Sasuke glared at Itachi's back. ''So, what? You're just going to run off? Just like that? I don't even know if I'll see you again and you're not going to stop and explain!?''

''You're being selfish, Sasuke.'' The elder brother said reproachingly, but that only further angered Sasuke.

''I don't care!'' He yelled again, trying to speed up to catch up to Itachi. Seeing this, Itachi also increased his speed, once again thanking Nagato from the very bottom of his heart that he had increased his chakra reserves when he gave him these powers. He wouldn't be able to keep up such a pace for very long. ''You're going to answer my questions!''

''Ask me later ... ''Itachi called back, focusing more on where he felt Kabuto's chakra and wondering why it felt so different. In fact, he had barely been able to find him. It was almost as if he blended in with the natural chakra of the world around them, the nature ... He rather disliked the implications of that fact. ''But I guess that might not happen.'' He had to be realistic that he might actually die this time around. Kabuto was no longer the boy following Orochimaru around, almost blindly. He was only two years older than Itachi and he was very talented, too. And now, doing what it feels like he did ... Itachi was not arrogant. He knew he could die in any of the fights he enters. He had made one too many promises with Sasuke that he had never fulfilled. He refused to make any more.

''You said so yourself! To come find you once I had the same eyes as you!'' The teenager reminded and Itachi closed his eyes with a sigh, remembering that cruel night, eight years ago. ''So why are you running?'' He demanded. ''To avoid admitting that you lied to me?! Or don't you have the courage to tell the truth!?'' He taunted, hoping to get a reaction out of his brother. But Itachi was not as prideful as the rest of the Uchiha. He ignored the jibes and just continued running, going over possible scenarios for the upcoming battle in his head.

He already knew he won't let Sasuke fight Kabuto. Kabuto, having been a student of Oorchimaru, himself, no doubt had a desire for Sasuke's eyes, almost matching the desire Orochimaru had had for Itachi's and then Sasuke's, too. In such a situation, Sasuke would be in danger and while he was a fine ninja already, he had a hot temper and a big pride that could end up getting him killed. His rage blinded him. In a battle to the death, it could very well kill him and there was no one but Itachi around to help him. If Itachi were somehow incapacitated, Sasuke would surely die. Itachi wasn't going to allow that to happen. As long as he lived, he will never let Sasuke get hurt in front of him. Never again.

Sasuke was getting frustrated from being, once again, ignored by his brother. Was it too much to ask for a normal conversation between himself and his brother? ''I already know ... everything about you.'' He said, a bit more calmly, this time. He was getting a bit desperate for his brother's attention. Hadn't he always sought this man's attention? Maybe even more than father's. After all, father was actually still around most of the time when he was a kid. Itachi, being as great as he was, had often been away on long missions even before he joined ANBU. Getting to spend any time with his brother had been a treasure for young Sasuke. When he became the murderer of his clan, Sasuke had still had to fight for Itachi's attention, wanting that final battle before he was ready. Itachi had known that and had continually rejected him. When he was finally dead, Sasuke would have given anything just to see his brother one last time. Now, he didn't exactly care how Itachi was alive. He just wanted some time with his precious older brother. ''That's why I decided to destroy Konoha!''

That certainly got Itachi's attention and he sighed, feeling a bit disappointed. Sure, Naruto-kun had told him what Sasuke planed to do but he had hoped his brother would just drop it, especially now that he knew Itachi was alive. It was no good, it would seem. ''I told you when we fought ... That people live under false assumptions, in an illusion. I asked you if you could think about it that way.'' Sasuke stared hard at his brother's back, wondering where Itachi was going with this. ''Is my truth really-''

''I no longer live inside an illusion!'' Sasuke interrupted, not wanting to hear any more self depreciating things Itachi was no doubt going to say. He had that tone of voice. ''I can see through your genjutsu! These eyes are even more powerful than yours!'' He snapped, showing Itachi his new Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. They looked like a arabesque flower, except the ''petals'' were three curves spiraling counter-clockwise around the pupil and that immediately alerted Itachi to whom those eyes had belonged to.

''You're as confident as ever, but I am sorry to say, Sasuke, that Chichiue had never been good at seeing through my genjutsu.'' The long haired Uchiha said, looking in front of him again. ''I've heard about you from others. Taht you've changed a lot...''

''No!'' The teenager denied. ''You've changed everything about me.'' Sasuke closed his eyes in pain, remembering the truth behind all of these lies. ''I was supposed to die. You were supposed to kill me with Otou-san and Okaa-san. But ... ''He paused, remembering Tobi's words, how Sasuke was Itachi's most important and precious person, how Itachi had loved him above everything else and had made all those sacrifices just to keep Sasuke safe. He had been under Danzo's thumb but he had never complained because it kept his little brother safe. And then he had been hunted for protecting the village that was now labeling him a traitor. ''Why me? Why did you spare me? What did I do to deserve all of your love?!''

He nearly stumbled when Itachi turned around and stopped, catching Sasuke before he could even react at all. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the gentle smile and the loving eyes Itachi was bestowing upon him at this moment. ''If I had been open with you from the start… and looked you straight in the eyes and told you the truth, then I wouldn't have had to stand before you, from above, as a failure, telling you all of this, how much I have screwed up both of our lives without even thinking of asking you what you want. So this time, I want to impart this truth to you… You don't even have to forgive me. And no matter what you do from here on out, know this… I will love you always.''

And with that, Sasuke found himself, for the forth time in his short life, in the black and white world that he knows as the Tsukuyomi. Only this time, what he was experiencing was not torture. He was not seeing his mother and father, his clan, slaughtered by hi most important person. No. He quickly realized that he was seeing the world from Itachi's perspective. Everything was so sharp and clear. Every memory that Itachi had ever made. Itachi remembered a lot. Every word he had spoken or had heard. Every thing he had ever read or written. All of his experiences ... All of it. Sasuke was seeing all of it. For the first time in his life, Itachi had given in to his demands to not leave him in the dark. The red moon overhead was now illuminating each secret Itachi had kept hidden, showing each lie and the shadow that had hidden it. How Itachi got his Sharingan, Shisui's death, the massacre, Danzo's plots, the Akatsuki's plans ... It was all so dark.

But Sasuke was relieved to see that there were also bright points in his brother's life. Obviously, he remained the brightest, something that actually slightly embarrassed Sasuke, mostly because he knew he didn't deserve to be so treasured by someone as amazing as his brother. He saw that his friendship with Kakashi and that Yamato guy also seemed to have been a small indulgence Itachi had allowed himself. What kind of ticked him off was that he seems to have found a lover in his shark-like partner and he had never bothered to tell Sasuke. The younger Uchiha will have to have words with the Kiri nin about how he should treasure his brother better, but the memories showed just how unnecessary that will be. The only thing Sasuke could really find fault in with Kisame was that he had actually allowed Itachi to go and fight Sasuke. At least he could tell it was because Itachi had made him promise and not out of lack of caring on Kisame's side. He'd also have to have a chat with Itachi about his obvious martyr complex.

That was his last conscious thought as he fell into dark oblivious of unconsciousness that usually follows such long trips down memory lane. Itachi caught Sasuke as he tumbled, carefully taking him down to ground level and propping Sasuke up against the trunk of a tree. He had been extremely careful and had, for once, allowed his jutsu to last a whole minute in the real world. He would rather not risk accidentally hurting Sasuke. He should be up in ten minutes or so, just enough time for Itachi to find Kabuto in his disclosed location and find a way to stop the Edo Tensei. By the time Sasuke recovers enough to go after him and especially by the time he arrives wherever it is that Kabuto is hiding, Itachi will probably have already finished his business there and be heading towards the battlefield or wherever it is he should go after that. Even with the Edo Tensei stopped, there was still Zetsu and not to mention Obito to help Madara.

He took one last, long look at his little brother. He wished for Sasuke to remain here, to be free of the fighting, but he had manipulated Sasuke's life and choices enough. It was time he let him live as he saw fit and deal with any consequences that come from it like a big brother should, berating him instead of making the choices _for_ him. Sasuke had to learn _sometime_. Itachi can't shield him from the world forever, no matter how much he wants to. Sasuke has to make and learn from his own mistakes. The best Itachi could do from now on is to be there and always support his brother, to help him and love him like he should have all of these years.

So he sighed, got up and put his hands together, weaving hand seals for a genjutsu that will hide his little brother from sight. He briefly pondered on leaving a note for Sasuke, possibly a message for Kisame when Sasuke finally ventured into the war zone, but he didn't know whether they'd be enemies or allies. In the end, he just sighed again and left, following the chakra signature he could still feel. Only a little more until he reached it. He already knew of a way to get Kabuto to break the Edo Tensei, but he'd still have to work for it. And knowing that Kabuto was willing to use Kotoamatsukami to get him meant that Kabuto will come at him full force, probably trying to kill him now that he can't have Itachi as a living puppet. After all, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu are extremely powerful jutsus and Susanoo is something everyone would want in their arsenal, especially a Susanoo that had defeated Orochimaru. Having Itachi fight for him would give him a great advantage over both Konoha and the Akatsuki. Itachi shuddered to think what a fight between him and Madara would result in for the surrounding scenery.

He'd have to deal with Kabuto quickly and with as little chakra wasted as he can. After all, he had to fight Madara later. Sasuke was skilled now, possibly even more than the last time they fought, but Madara won't hesitate to kill him, probably won't even mess around with him. He needs to have something against Itachi, after all.

So Itachi sped up, heading to deal with Kabuto, hoping he isn't too late and that the casualties weren't too great.

He really hated war.


	10. Chapter 10

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

He found him five minutes later, hiding in a dark cave like the snake he is, protected by an ultimately useless barrier that Itachi smashed through with his Susanoo with ease. He'd obviously startled Kabuto with the ease of his entrance, since Orochimaru's little protégé whipped his head around when Itachi punched his way through.

Kabuto smirked at the elder Uchiha brother, not at all surprised that Itachi was alive but a bit more surprised at having been found. ''Ah, Itachi-kun. I'm impressed you were able to pas through my barrier and find this place.''

''When you had Shisui use his eye on me in order to take control of me, you revealed your identity, allowing me to know whom I am to search for. I was able to pinpoint your location here.'' Itachi explained casually, stepping further into the chamber Kabuto was using, spotting Anko, unconscious, behind him. ''And even if you hadn't given me your identity, Nagato-kun could still easily pinpoint your location while you were controlling him. That's another risk of this jutsu.''

''Another?'' Kabuto questioned but the Uchiha didn't reply, so the cloaked form turned around to face his adversary. ''I see. Well, thank's for the tip. I will be sure to use it the next time around.''

''There won't be another time.'' Itachi promised, allowing his eyes to rove over the cavern, making sure no traps were waiting for him should he make another move forwards.

''I thought that Uchiha Shisui's jutsu was unstoppable, that no one can escape its effects.'' Kabuto mumbled to himself, studying the man that Orochimaru had feared for many years of his life. Compared to his partner, or any other Akatsuki member for that matter, Itachi looked very frail and fragile. One would never believe he was the strongest man in that organization. He didn't even look like he _belonged_ in the organization to begin with. Itachi wasn't deformed by some jutsu like Deidara and his three additional mouths. He hadn't turned himself into a mummy or a puppet. He didn't have strangely colored skin or piercings all over his body, nor was his body skeleton like, like Nagato's real body was. And he didn't have stitchings in his neck from where his head had been chopped off one too many times. He wasn't made of thousands upon thousands of slices of paper bombs, either. He was a very handsome man that, by appearances, didn't belong in such a deranged group. Yet here he was, one of the last few of the original group still alive, the strongest and still the only one undefeated among them. ''It never even occurred to me to counter one Kotoamatsukami with another. I thought no one can stop it, so I wasn't worried.''

''Then you have inherited more than Orochimaru's powers. You've inherited his arrogance as well.'' Kabuto glared at this, but paid the comment no mind.

''It is you who is arrogant here, Uchiha Itachi. You've come here with the intent to kill me, but the Edo Tensei won't stop even if you somehow manage to.'' He allowed his smirk to become a little wider, letting the words sink in into the genius' head. ''I am the only one who can stop this jutsu.'' He started laughing like an evil maniac, exasperating Itachi to no end.

''I am well aware of this fact, Kabuto.'' Itachi calmly replied, startling the glasses wearing ninja again. His laughter stopped immediately and he turned to regard Itachi with a stupefied expression on his face. ''I've known of the Edo Tensei since my days in the Academy. I tended to read more than an ordinary grownup did, curious and hungry for knowledge. Let that be your only warning.''

''Books won't do you any good in a fight, Itachi-kun.'' Kabuto hissed in a true snake-like manner, pissed that Itachi was underestimating him. ''I am a lot stronger than even Orochimaru-sama used to be and I am not scared of you.'' The gray haired man said, glaring at the Uchiha. ''Oorchimaru-sama avoided any territory you were in like the plague, scared that you would come to kill him for trying to take over your body. I'm not like that. I don't need your body, Itachi-kun.'' He said, standing and removing his cloak, allowing Itachi to see that the damn snake was a part of his body, coming out of his bellybutton. If you asked Itachi, he looked downright creepy in true Orochimaru fashion. ''I'm going to kill you and then bring you back with the Edo Tensei. I want you to understand this, Itachi. This jutsu has neither risk nor weaknesses.''

''Every jutsu has a risk. And very jutsu has a weakness.'' Itachi stated firmly but Kabuto only laughed at him again.

''What are you even doing here, Itachi? One would think that now that you have been revived, you would go off and play peacemaker somewhere else, where people would appreciate your sense of humor for still believing in peace.'' He mocked, studying the long haired man once again, appreciating the power hidden in such a slim body. ''Tobi and I are at war with the Five Great Nations and we are winning, all thanks to Madara wreaking chaos on the battlefield as we speak. We will soon have the last two biju that are missing and his plan will be in motion. You, meanwhile, instead of helping them are here bothering me, thinking you can stop a jutsu that has no weakness or risks! How hilarious!'' He started laughing again, actually managing to tick Itachi off a little. He didn't like to be laughed at. People who laughed at him tended to be left in the dirt to rot as their brains dripped out of their ear. ''Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Even the great Akatsuki no Itachi is reduced to nothing but desperate attempts. Truly pathetic.''

''You won't get away with this.''

''Won't I? Are you even aware of all the people I've reanimated with the Edo Tensei?'' The snake taunted, gliding a bit forwards but stopping when a single kunai embedded itself right between his feet. He stayed where he was, once again startled by the Uchiha. He hadn't even seen him move his arms or hands. ''Your former Akatsuki members, the former Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a few previous Kages and even your cousin, Uchiha Shisui. Pretty impressive, don't you think?'' His snake head wiggled around excitedly and Itachi repressed an expression of disgust from settling on his face. ''And you think you can stop me, on your own?''

''I am usually not one to brag, but all of my Akatsuki members have fought me, at the same time, once, long ago, and they have managed to land a hit. After five hours of battle. All of them except Leader-sama and Konan-san.'' Red eyes roved over his opponent's body and snorted, knowing it would tick Kabuto off. ''I don't think you can measure up to that. You're not even as strong as Orochimaru had been.''

True enough to Itachi's prediction, that not only ticked Kabuto off, it _pissed_ him off and he flew at Itachi in a rage, aiming for his neck in hopes of strangling him. Itachi allowed himself to burst into dozens of crows and reappear behind Kabuto, delivering a swift kick to his ribs and lower back before crouching down and making to sweep the other man's feet from under him but Kabuto jumped up and whirled around to deliver a kick to the genius' head, but Itachi was ready and had raised his arms up, palms outwards, wrists crossed as the kick was blacked by his forearms. Itachi then took a strong grip on the leg and hurled Kabuto over his shoulder as he twisted, the snake hitting a stalagmite, braking it in half and the one that was sticking from the ceiling fell down. Had Kabuto not used the Hozuki clan's Suigetsu's cells on himself and been unable to preform the Suika no Jutsu, he would be dead under the rock right now. He glared at Itachi, forming hand seals at great speed but no faster than Itachi could read.

''Senpō: Hakugeki no Jutsu!'' He yelled before an orb of purple hurled towards Itachi, a red dragon soon following from Kabuto's mouth. As the dragon tightly coiled itself around the orb, it released both blinding light and deafening sound by making the air oscillate. Itachi felt a sharp pain in his head and his eyes were blinded. He covered his ears and closed his eyes, but it wasn't quite enough. Shit. He knew he can't stay like this for long. This is a jutsu only someone who had studied in the Ryūchi Cave and mastered the Sage Transformation can preform, but it would be ridiculous to use, since even the caster of the jutsu would be effected. But not Kabuto, Itachi realized as he remembered how Kabuto had just evaded death by liquefying into water, a secret jutsu of a clan from Kirigakure. Due to his snake characteristics, Kabuto can close the cornea of his eyes to completely block the harmful light, whilst instead relying upon the enhanced perception of his other senses to compensate for his obstructed vision. He can also liquefy the insides of his body in order to negate the effects of the harsh sound vibrations.

This makes the current situation an ideal attack opportunity and Itachi can't see or hear it. But due to his new abilities that Pein has given him ... He can _sense_ him. So Itachi allowed himself to close himself off from his hurting senses and allowed his new sensory ability to pick up on Kabuto's movements. He wished he could have seen Kabuto's startled expression when he formed his Susanoo skeleton and one arm reached out to punch him. Had Kabuto not stopped, he would be a mess of broken bones right about now.

''How can you still sense me?'' Kabuto demanded when his jutsu ended, Itachi having to take a moment to compose himself before allowing his ears to be revealed once again and his eyes to open.

''When I was brought back to life, I received special powers that you would not want me using on you.'' The Uchiha warned seriously, having every intention to use the powers Nagato had gifted him with if it meant saving everyone from the Edo Tensei. Many more lives depended on it.

"And you still call me arrogant?" Kabuto hissed, circling the Uchiha, knowing he won't land a single hit with the Susanoo active. He also knew that this fight won't be nearly as easy as he would have hoped. Every time he had been near the Uchiha, he had sensed that he had rather shallow chakra reserves and that meant he would be the first to tire out in a battle. But he could now sense a great amount of chakra in him, and for someone who has Itachi's chakra control, that was dangerous. As he was now, healthy and with such amounts of chakra, Itachi was possibly the most dangerous man in this war, almost on par with Uchiha Madara. Kabuto wondered who would win in such a fight.

"It is not arrogance if one can back up their words with their actions." Came to confident reply from the prodigy, studying Kabuto's body with his eyes and with his crow's eye from the other side of the cave, effectively hidden by a well placed genjutsu. He could see every move the man made. If he tried hiding, his crow will tell him where he was without Kabuto knowing. That is, if he can trick Itachi's new sensory abilities.

"Why do you even care this much about a village that would rather see you dead?" The gray haired shinobi asked, genuinely confused. To him, it really didn't make any sense. He had never been particularly loyal to any of his previous groups, not even to Orochimaru and he had stayed by that man's side and cared for him for _years_. "Why would you go to such lengths for people who you mostly never even saw, let alone spoke with or were friends with?"

"Because, despite the village having its dark side, despite it hunting me and trying to kill me and hating me," Itachi replied, swiftly making hand seals behind his cloak so Kabuto wouldn't notice until his chakra responded and the other sensed it. "I am still Konoha no Uchiha Itachi." He suddenly brought a hand up to his mouth and Kabuto's eyes widened when he felt such quick rise of chakra. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" He fired fireball after fireball at Kabuto, some being distractions for the shuriken or kunai he'd hide a few degrees to the right or left, objects that Kabuto would have difficulty to sense when he was avoiding a barrage of chakra induced attacks. Seeing that his opponent was sufficiently distracted, Itachi rushed in, pulling out the katana he had been hiding beneath the cloak he was wearing. He got in close enough to cut off one of the horns Kabuto now sported, but the man avoided looking into his eyes and instead used his snake to encircle Itachi's waist, trying the squeeze the life out of him while covering his eyes with one hand.

"So rash, Itachi-kun." He hissed in the raven's ear, letting his abnormally ling tongue slip out and running it over his ear, causing Itachi to shudder in disgust. "How unlike you. Do I make even _you_ nervous?" He grabbed painfully at the hand still clutching the katana when Itachi tried to stab him with it, twisting the hand behind Itachi's back and making the Uchiha arch his back. "It's over for you. But don't worry. Your death will be brief. You will soon come back as my pawn. No," Kabuto smirked as he observed his captive. "Your the most powerful piece in the game. You're the _queen_." He started pushing the blade upwards, towards Itachi's side and vital organs, despite the resistance Itachi put up. He leaned in to breathe in the younger man's scent before death could take him, running his lips over the tantalizing pale skin of that long, elegant neck. "Any last words?"

"Just two," Itachi replied, a smirk coming over his features. "Shinra Tensei." He was freed as Kabuto suddenly found himself flung across the cavern with enough force to go through three stalagmite and two walls, ending up buried under all the rubble. Itachi fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his torso and abdomen hurting from where Kabuto's snake-bellybutton had been squeezing him. He coughed a bit, trying to get lungs back into his air, glaring as he was reminded of the ache his sickness used to cause. He rightened himself and summoned up his Susanoo, walking cautiously over to where Kabuto had landed, jumping over rocks and boulders the other's little trip through the cave had made.

He was prepared for the attack seconds before Kabuto lunged from beneath the rubble, catching the man with two Susanoo arms and holding him tight and secure, despite the trashing that followed. He ignored Kabuto's curses as they echoed throughout the cave and he ignored the attempted bites at his fingers when he took a hold of his hair. The snake sage tried to shake his hold of his head off but Itachi was having none of that and he tugged, forcing Kabuto's to still and tilt upwards so they would be at proper eye level. He still clenched his eyes shut stubbornly, refusing to meet Itachi's eyes, knowing it would be the end if he did so. But Itachi was not patient today and he signaled for his crow to fly over, land on Kabuto's exposed shoulder ... and dig in its claws into his scaly skin.

Kabuto gasped in pain and surprise, an opportunity which Itachi seized upon, trapping the glasses wearing man in Tsukuyomi. Kabuto looked around frantically, not really understanding what was happening. He tried to release himself from the genjutsu, but no one had escaped Tsukuyomi yet. To this day, it remained a doujutsu not even another Uchiha could escape if Itachi were to truly intend to keep them there. Kabuto wasn't aware of that, however, and so he futilely tried to free himself time and time again, with no results. Not even the Natural Energy he could now absorb as a sage could help him come out of the illusionary world Itachi dominated. He was just wasting his chakra, unable to escape no matter what he did.

And then they came, the screams. Kabuto flinched and put his hands over his ears, desperately trying to block out the screams that seemed to be coming from every direction. Screams of all of his and Orochimaru's victims, screams of all of their test subjects, of the allies they betrayed and killed. Grotesque figures started crawling out of the ground, reaching and clawing towards him, their screams still echoing throughout to black and white space, the bloody moon illuminating all the blood that was coating his hands. Kabuto's screams joined the screams of his victims as they started dragging him towards the ground, overwhelming them with their numbers. All the jutsus he's ever learned, all the power that he had gained, all gone ... Lost to the wind that didn't even blow in the world of illusion Itachi had created to torture his victims in.

And in order to find the memory of the Edo Tensei he needed and to prolong Kabuto's punishment, Itachi made the man carefully relive his while life, not at all bothered by the screams that echoed around in his Tsukuyomi. He watched with impassive eyes as he tore Kabuto apart and rebuilt him how he saw fit, feeling no remorse for his actions. This man had made him relive the pain of losing _both_ Shisui and Nagato. He had taken a forbidden jutsu and used it carelessly, uncaring of the pain he will cause to both the living and the dead when he forced them to fight each other. The grief he had never gotten over of losing Shisui and the still all too fresh pain of losing the only genuine father figure he'd ever had - _twice_ , already - slapped back into his face ... Itachi could not forgive that. He was not a saint and he was not perfect, no matter what others say. He was still only human and even he was allowed some petty revenge.

Besides, this will come out good for Kabuto, too. He's been running from himself for years, having forgotten what it even means to really be Yakushi Kabuto in the first place because Danzo had wanted a spy. Another life ruined by that man ... At least he was dead at last. His intentions were good but his methods were horrifying. You cannot achieve peace with such actions, only tyranny.

Itachi shook his head of such thoughts and instead focused on the task at hand. He searched through Kabuto's memories until he found what he was looking for and he extracted himself from the Tsukuyomi. He then activated the hypnotic properties of his eyes and forced Kabuto to make the proper hand seals before releasing the gray haired shinobi so he can watch the rest of his memories in peace until he saw what he was, accepted it and forgave himself. It will only make him stronger.

But the Uchiha prodigy had no interest in observing that happen. Instead, he formed his full Susanoo and took out the gourd, uncorking it and letting Shisui and Nagato out. Shisui was now awake and both men were smiling at him, content to finally be at peace. After all, Shisui had always just wanted a more peaceful goodbye with the man he considered his little brother.

"I'll see you again, one day, Itachi." The dead Uchiha said with a smile as he and Nagato - and all the other Edo Tensei summoned ninja - glowed an ethereal glow, free from the jutsu to stop fighting and make their final goodbyes. "But not too soon."

"Yes," Itachi replied, not at all bothering to stop the tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. "One day."

"You did good," Shisui said before his spirit was released from the reanimated body as it fell apart and lost all semblance of shape before vanishing to the winds. "I'm proud of you, otouto." Were his departing words that echoed around Itachi like but a whisper and Itachi started shaking as the tears came on harder. But he refused to rub them away. He could count on one hand the number of times he had cried in his whole life. He was allowed to cry now.

"You did good." Nagato's voice echoed Shisui's words and Itachi looked up when he felt a hand petting his hair. He met Nagato's smiling face and more tears rolled down his cheeks but both men ignored them. "Thank you for fulfilling my wish and continuing this fight, Itachi. Thank you for fighting for peace, still. I am very proud of the man you have become." Itachi flung himself into the arms of his surrogate father, letting himself be a child one last time. "Sh, Itachi. We shall see one another again. This is not a goodbye, but a see you later." He murmured into Itachi's hair. "I am so proud of you, _musuko_."

Itachi's breath hitched but a smile spread across his lips and he tightened his hold on Nagato even as the redhead disintegrated as his soul left the reanimated body. "Thank you for everything, _Tou-san._ " And with one final smile at Itachi, in a blinding wave of light, Shisui and Nagato left the world of the living.

Their parting gift were two tears that finally managed to hit the cave's floor.


	11. Chapter 11

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Elsewhere, all throughout the five nations, the rest of the reanimated people all slowly disappeared, leaving their loved ones with red eyes and wet cheeks, but with far better chances of surviving this cursed war. The armies that the Five Nations had to fight dwindled by half, if not more, as the last of the reanimations were released, leaving only Obito, Madara and their Zetsu army. The ninja all cheered as their opponents disappeared, even though everywhere around them, people were shedding tears at their second goodbyes to their fallen comrades.

"It would seem Itachi managed to do it." Naruto commented as he and Killer B paused in their fighting the enemies with the rest of Konoha 11 and all their families. "He evened out the odds."

"A single man did all of this?" A stunned Kiba asked from the blond's other side. "How strong is he!?"

"Is this what Itachi-san has been up to?" Naruto jumped when he heard that familiar voice, whirling around to see Kisame strolling towards them with his Samehada on his shoulder, curiously tilting his head as he watched the breeze blow away the remains of the reanimated bodies like ordinary dust. "He's been busy."

"I guess you were right that whatever he is doing is going to be important for the war effort." Yamato mused, staring out at what had been a powerful, large army but now only consisted of dozens of clones. "As expected of our youngest ANBU ever."

"But where could he be now?" Kakashi asked, rubbing the side of his head. "We could use him here. Fighting these two won't be easy. Madara had been trashing the Five Kage by himself and that Tobi guy had easily taken on both Naruto and Killer B, not to mention the rest of us. Those two are seriously, ridiculously overpowered. We need someone who might have an idea how to beat them."

Naruto thought the situation over, staring up at the masked man and Madara. Despite their best efforts, the Five Kage had not managed to defeat Madara and now instead lay defeated at the ancient Uchiha's feet. Even Tsunade had been knocked out, quite a feat with her Ninpō Sōzō Saisei — Byakugō no Jutsu or whatever it was called. He hadn't exactly had the time to muse on it, since he and Killer B had been attacked by Tobi as soon as they arrived at the battlefield. They'd had quite a fight. He was honestly surprised he was still alive at all, despite the help from his friends. Actually, he would have been dead had Neji not jumped in front of him and Hinata some time ago. Thankfully, the attack had missed all vital points and Neji was still alive, just gravely injured and greatly weakened by the ordeal. Hinata had went off the battlefield with him, leaving them weaker still. And Sakura might be needed to leave soon, too, what with the number of serious injuries ...

They were loosing numbers and fast. When there had been entire armies fighting those two guys, Madara and Tobi had wiped the floor with them. The more numbers they lost, the lesser their chances of a win were. If this keeps on going like this ...

Naruto shook his head violently. No. He had to snap out of this. He didn't have the time for such thoughts. He was in the middle of a war here! He needed to think of how they were going to beat these guys. But for that, he needs to analyze the situation. And calm and focus help with that. That's what Itachi said, anyway, and that guy had managed to defeat one of Nagato's strongest jutsus before defeating the man himself.

"Our attacks have had no effect so far," Sakura murmured from beside him and Naruto had to agree. No matter what they did, the Rinnegan stopped or absorbed all of their attacks. ''Madara's immortal and that Tobi guy is pretty damn powerful, too. If this goes on for much longer, we could seriously end up dying here without stopping or even slowing them down.''

''You, pink haired crybaby.'' The kunoichi looked ready to punch Kisame, but the man didn't appear afraid or bothered by the threat to his life. Then again, he had been partners with Itachi and that guy, despite his size, could probably floor him in under a minute. ''You either calm down on your own or I make you, got it?''

''Is this really necessary now?'' Sai couldn't help but ask in exasperation, actually showing it. This war, if nothing else, was good for Sai since he had finally broken all that rotten ROOT training and was a lot more open with emotions, or rather he now _knew_ how to show them _at all_. He actually knew what emotion was. ''We have two super powerful enemies to fight.''

''You guys need to calm down.'' Kisame told them seriously, looking very much as calm as he sounded. But this was probably as close to an every day occurrence to him as it could get. He had spent the past who knows how many years hunting biju and facing incredible odds. He was in his element. Calm was only to be expected. ''Itachi-san is probably already on his way here, most likely already planning out the entire battle up ahead so he can be ready and then Madara and Tobi will be taken care of.''

''And until then?'' Sakura challenged and the Kiri nin only grinned.

''Until then, we fight.''

00000

By the time Sasuke woke up from the Tsukuyomi's after affects, he could feel that Itachi was long gone. What intrigued him was that he was, for some reason, surrounded by six familiar chakra signatures, two of which he wasn't sure he'd ever feel again. After all, he had thought Orochimaru dead for good after Itachi had sealed him away with his Totsuka and he had thought Karin dead, too, after the wound he gave her. Kabuto and Anko, he knew he'd run into again. It was the curse of all those who were taught by Orochimaru. Suigetsu and Juugo ... For them, he hadn't exactly been sure. He hadn't seen them for a week already, nor had he felt them anywhere near him while he had been recovering from receiving his father's eyes.

''Is he awake yet?'' He heard Suigetsu ask in a very annoying voice and he wondered if it was meant to piss Karin off. Probably. That guy had some serious problems if he liked annoying the Uzumaki girl.

"Yes, actually." Kabuto replied as Sasuke blinked open his eyes, staring at the group. Staring at Kabuto in particular. Seriously, that was some change he had went through. "And he seems to be perfectly fine. Or as far as I can sense." The Uchiha frowned, not understanding what he was talking about. "Sasuke-kun, could you please dispel the genjutsu surrounding you? Not even Orochimaru-sama can break a genjutsu made by the Sharingan."

What? Oh! Itachi must have placed a genjutsu on him to hide him from view before he left. Sasuke activated his own Sharingan and saw the energy field that represented the illusion. He focused on it and put his hands together before uttering a quiet 'Kai' and letting the genjutsu fall away. He found himself being stared at by his team, his former shishou and his assistant and Anko, who just looked dead tired on her feet and was actually leaning sleepily against Orochimaru.

"Had a nice nap, Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked with a smirk and Sasuke gave him a blank look.

"Let's see _you_ recover from the Tsukuyomi any better." The Uchiha grumbled, rubbing his head. Despite how careful Itachi had been, the Tsukuyomi had still put a great strain on Sasuke's mind, leading to the pounding headache he was currently experiencing.

He was surprised when Kabuto gave his shoulder a sympathetic pat with an understanding look on his face. "Completely understandable, Sasuke-kun. I only woke up because Anko-san had no qualms about slapping me until I opened my eyes."

"Why are you being so friendly all of a sudden?" The raven haired teen carefully asked, studying Kabuto. More precisely, his face. It was devoid of anger, bitterness, plotting and even indifference. The malice that used to cling to his chakra like a second skin was also gone. Instead, Kabuto gave off the vibe that he was almost ... content. Which was a long way from what Sasuke remembered of the glasses wearing man.

"That brother of your has true visual prowess," Kabuto said, startling Sasuke with the casual mention of Itachi. They both ignored the flinch Orochimaru gave at the mention of the prodigy and just continued on with their conversation. "It's what sets him apart from all the other Uchiha. He can see directly into the deepest, darkest, most secret part of the soul and use what he learns from there in battle easily. Or in life." Kabuto gave him a strangely bitter smile. "He can make a person take a good look at themselves and see and accept what they are. He can make them forgive themselves with nothing but a powerful illusion. He can make them stronger."

Sasuke thought back to the story he himself had seen. It hadn't been about his life, like it had obviously been for Kabuto, but he _had_ seen _Itachi's_ whole life. He had never known his brother in such a light and he felt shame creep on him like an icy morning. His brother was too good for the life that had been handed to him. He should have been able to be happy, to have friends and family like normal kids had been allowed to have, not be made into the clan's and the village's weapon before he lost all of his baby teeth. His innocence should have stayed longer than just four years of his life. What had been demanded of him should never be asked of an adult, let alone a child. Worse yet, they had made Itachi grow up too soon. He had not been a child for long. Not even three whole years. After all, how else would have Itachi known how to slit a throat at four or run on water?

"Yeah, Nii-san is pretty amazing, isn't he?" Sasuke asked in the same child like wonder he had felt whenever talking or even just looking at his older brother. He had met a lot of people during his time with Orochimaru. None could measure up to Itachi. Not even Tobi and Madara. "I take it you fought him? Where is he now?"

Kabuto shook his head. "I have no idea. After our fight ended and I was caught in his Tsukuyomi, I lost all contact and sense of the real world until I saw my entire life flash through my head. By the time I woke up, Orochimaru-sama and Anko-san were awake and he was long gone."

"We haven't even seen him." Anko supplied with a sigh. "Anyone mind actually telling me what's going on here?"

"I wish I only knew," Suigetsu muttered to himself, staring at Sasuke in the same way Sasuke had stared at Kabuto. Both of them had changed. Sasuke no longer looked anguished or frantic, nor was he obsessing with his brother. He wasn't cold. He seemed as content as Kabuto. In fact, Sasuke looked do calm that Suigetsu wondered how this was the same person who he has known for the past few months. Karin and Juugo felt it in his chakra, too. It was still pretty dark - he hated Konoha still, but wouldn't destroy the village since Itachi loved it so much - but it was a lot better than before. Now it felt more like midday shadow instead of the eclipse.

"A war started. Tobi and Madara are fighting everyone on the battlefield." Kabuto answered as the most well informed among their group. "A lot of the Zetsu clones were defeated, but with just the two of them, they're giving the Alliance quite a bit of trouble."

"Is Itachi there?" Sasuke asked, that being the only thing he wanted to know.

The snake sage could only shrug. "I really wouldn't know. But he'll no doubt go there soon. He's the only one who can stop their ultimate genjutsu, after all."

"And Naruto?"

"He and Killer B have been fighting Tobi for quite some time from what I last saw. They weren't doing so well. I imagine that Naruto-kun will need help soon." That was the subtlest hint Kabuto was going to give to Sasuke, along with the look he was sending him.

"Then that's where we'll be going." The Uchiha stated and Orochimaru grabbed him by the collar before he could take off with a tsk.

"Not so fast, Sasuke-kun. Just the six of us won't do much good." The Sannin explained. "We need to stop by Konoha and get them the previous Hokage. Hashirama should be more than enough to keep Madara busy while Tobirama can deal with Tobi or whatever his name is. Sarutobi-sansei and Minato-kun will be great assets as well, to fight the biju they have captured. They have fought them before."

"We don't have the time!" Sasuke argued, whirling around, Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan blazing in the dark. "Madara is going to get the last two biju from Naruto and Killer B and they'll cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi all around the world! I saw it! Itachi showed me just what will happen and we can't allow that to transpire. The whole _world_ will be drained of their life force!"

"What?" Karin asked in fright, Juugo fidgeting beside her. "How can a genjutsu drain life energy?" Genjutsu were techniques that created dream worlds to trap opponents and targets in. The worst that a genjutsu could do (some special cases not withstanding since they were mostly Kekkei Genkai) was knock someone out.

"This is a special case. It needs something called the Rinne-Sharingan to activate it and the energy accumulated from the jutsu will be used to unseal some entity. Itachi knows what this entity is but he has kept it a secret from me. All I know about all of this is that the jutsu was first made by an Otsutsuki and that Black Zetsu isn't really loyal to Madara."

"That's already a whole lot more than what we know. As expected of Itachi-kun, to gather such information from right under Uchiha Madara's nose." Orochimaru commented, rather impressed with the elder Uchiha brother's work.

"Yeah. Which is why we can't afford to waste any time." Sasuke pointed out, turning to leave, only to have Orochimaru tug him back harshly, causing him to splutter for breath.

Meanicing black and red eyes turned a glare in Orochimaru's direction but the Sannin wasn't bothered by it much, if at all. "What the hell?"

"We need to summon the previous Hokage with the Edo Tensei if we want to slow down, let alone stop Madara." The snake man said in a stern tone of voice. "Naruto-kun is strong and Itachi-kun might have already arrived. They'll hold out until we get there. But we won't be much of a backup if we can't provide them some extra power."

"I thought the Sandaime sealed them away during the Konoha Crush?" Kabuto questioned, arching an eyebrow at his master.

Orochimaru snorted. "That, my dear Kabuto, is an Uzumaki fuinjutsu, the ultimate one at that. But that doesn't mean that it can't be unsealed. There are just requirements to it."

Sasuke thought about it before giving a terse nod. "Alright. I have words to exchange with the Sandaime, anyway. Mainly, why the _hell_ did he not do more to prevent the massacre. And _what the fucking hell_ made him think an _eleven year old_ would be good for _ANBU."_

"Itachi-kun was a special, isolated case." Kabuto argued. "His skill and talent were just too blatantly obvious for them not to utilize them."

"Doesn't make it anymore right." The Uchiha still argued.

"What about taking a four year old out to a war zone?" Orochimaru challenged, actually coming to his sensei's defense for the first time in many years. "That was your father's idea."

"I'm well aware." Sasuke ground out through grit teeth. "And what's _wrong_ with you, telling a kid life has no meaning?" Orochimaru blanched a little as he realized that he _had_ said something rather stupid in front of a young Itachi, all those years ago. "He jumped off a cliff!" More than one pair of eyes widened at this. They just couldn't imagine a suicidal kid jumping off of a cliff, especially if that kid was the infamous Clan Killer. "Had it not been for that stupid crow of his, he could have _died_!"

"We'd sure be screwed over by now if that had happened, right?" Suigetsu tried to joke but all he received in return were glares from his companions except for Juugo, who was too nice for that. Although he, too, was frowning. Whether if was from what Suigetsu had said or at the truth behind it, was left unclear.

"I'm guessing that he had then found meaning in life, if he still lives." The Sannin commented after a moment of just glaring at his once test subject.

"While this is all fine and dandy and actually quite interesting to watch," Anko suddenly interrupted, a frown on her face as she looked off into the distance, presumably towards the battlefield. "Don't we have somewhere to be?" And it would be an understatement if the others didn't feel mortified at the fact that they had so easily forgotten about the war going on not a hundred miles away.

''We should get going.'' It was, unsurprisingly, Sasuke who first broke out of their 'oh shit' moment and he went straight down to business. ''Actually, Suigetsu, Juugo, you two go with Orochimaru.'' The youngest Uchiha said, looking towards his two male teammates. ''Orochimaru, you go and get the Kage and be as fast about it as you can. They'll provide you any protection you might need. And get Anko to safety. She's still not in any condition to fight, especially not in a war like this.'' He ignored said woman's protests and just prowled on with his strategy. ''Karin and Kabuto will go with me. Their healing abilities and a few other talents might come in handy against Madara and Tobi.''

''Unfortunately, Sasuke-kun, you are needed for the Edo Tensei jutsu.'' Orochimaru said with a grimace. ''You have a six Zetsu replicas clinging to you and the Edo Tensei needs sacrifices. And I will need one of those same clones to use as a new body in order to escape death as an after affect of the jutsu.''

''Not to mention that it won't be safe for us to separate at this point.'' Anko pointed out grimly. Sasuke just looked at all of them, studying their expressions before turning back to Orochimaru.

''Extract the pores or clones or replicas or whatever the hell they are and take them with you.'' The raven all but ordered and ignored all protests as they arose. ''I won't listen to you. Right now, we need to be in two places at once and, unfortunately, that requires us to risk a little and separate. If we don't, it just might be a little too late for the Hokages to even arrive at all.'' Sasuke took out a scroll and quickly wrote down a seal on it before strengthening the seal with a small, well controlled burst of Amaterasu before he handed the scroll back to Orochimaru, now containing a genjutsu inside meant for the four Hokage of the past. ''Give this to the Hokage before they set off. I think the knowledge of what is going on will be useful.''

''There's no changing your mind, is there?'' Orochimaru asked, already knowing the answer as he took the scroll from his student of almost three years. ''What will you be doing?''

''I'll be going to protect Naruto and possibly join Itachi in the fight against the other two Uchiha that are left in the world.'' Sasuke replied, meeting Orochimaru's eyes evenly. ''We can't let them win.''

''No, we can't.'' The oldest of the group sighed before gesturing for Suigetsu, Kabuto and Juugo to be ready. ''Alright. We'll do it your way. But you'll need to stay still while I extract Zetsu's spores from you.''

''Is this going to take long?'' Orochimaru glared as he started weaving hand seals.

''Don't be a brat.''


	12. Chapter 12

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Madara was not at all impressed with how things were going so far. In fact, he was very disappointed with how weak his descendants had turned out to be, all things considered. Well, the ones he was currently 'fighting', anyway. One still remained to come to the scene.

In Madara's (not so humble) opinion, this whole war had been rather pathetic. He had expected more form the Five Great Nations, not to find out he alone was more than enough to wipe out almost all of their forces in a single battle. Just taijutsu and a few ninjutsu attacks had been enough to take care of quite a few divisions on its own, before that Uzumaki brat with the Kyuubi had arrived, as well as the Kazekage and the Tsuchikae in the desert. But they were taken care of with relative ease, although the blond Uzumaki did have a jutsu that had forced him to activate his Rinnegan and his Susanoo had not been long after in making an appearance.

And then he had fought the five Kage, finding them to be mere child's play, despite how skilled and powerful they were. He found them as arrogant as people constantly called his clansmen to be. That fight had taken a bit longer but the end result had still been the same. He had been a bit disappointed that Obito still hadn't managed to capture the last two biju while he was finishing up the Kage, but Obito was still young and still had much to learn so he let it go. They'd just take them together, despite how much their friends tried to protect them.

When Madara joined the fight for the Kyuubi and the Hachibi, that fight almost ended as soon as he started fighting, but then Sasuke had to come, acting all heroic and stuff, and with the four previous Hokage, too! Madara had at least been elated that he'd get to fight Hashirama again, that someone will present him a challenge at least - since the one he had been waiting for has yet to arrive.

Fighting Hashirama is what it had always been, a thrill like no other. And they were both practically immortals, _gods_ this time around so their fights could be taken to a whole new extent. As their battle rages, Hashirama tried to convince Madara to postpone, but Madara repeatedly refused. He was no fool. He was winning and he knew it.

And when the Juubi was summoned, after they manage to capture both Naruto and Killer B and extract their tailed bests, and after he stabs Sasuke through with his own sword, Madara easily went on to the next stage of his plan, despite Obito turning on him and trying to take the Juubi from him.

From then on out, with both Naruto and Sasuke dead - even if only temporarily - it's all smooth sailing until those two are revived by the Rikudō Sennin himself. But by then, it's all too late and Madara had awakened his Rinne-Sharingan, which then allowed him to finally fulfill his plan and activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

The entire world is trapped in a dream and then wrapped into Madara's God: Nativity of a World of Trees. Sasuke was able to save Naruto, Kakashi, Kisame and Sakura from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Seeing them so helpless and restricted to only moving inside Sasuke's Susanoo's armor, Madara announced himself the world's savior, one who has saved the world from itself by replacing the hells of reality with the heavens of dreams.

And he still feels that the victory was far too easy. Obito is still alive and immune to the Infinite Tsukuyomi but he would be unable to stop it. He knew that Obito was only resisting it thanks to still being somewhat connected to Madara and the Juubi through all the shitty jutsus they'd all went through. That was enough not to trap him, but it won't be enough to allow him to do as he pleases. Besides, Black Zetsu won't let him do anything he shouldn't. The four Hokage were helpless against this jutsu.

There was only one person who could possibly take him on right now and he has yet to arrive. Madara was never a patient person. But he loved a good fight more than anything. And at this moment, no one was able to give him that. Not even Hashirama. Not like this.

He hovered over the Tree, watching as he reduced the last resistance to a few decaying corpses. He actually wondered if Itachi had been caught by his jutsu. He and Obito had always expected for Itachi to remain completely immune to it, the reason they always kept a close eye on him. Itachi's eyes saw through all illusions, no matter what sort of illusion it was. It was why he was so dangerous. You never know what to expect from him, if he can see through all your lies and illusions before you can even present them to him. To have someone who can see through all of your words, whether they are lies or truths ... For that someone to be your enemy, your opponent, one you kept _close_ , so close that most of your secrets are bared for them to see if they they were just to look - and Itachi _would_ ... It was _thrilling_ and terrifying and so _exciting_ ...

It was perfect. Well, at least, Madara thought so. He lived for the thrill of fighting someone who can surprise him at every corner. Hashirama used to provide him that thrill. But he was now used to Hashirama's tricks. He _had_ spent most of his life fighting the other man. They pretty much knew the other's fighting style by now. Well, Madara knew Hashirama's. The Uchiha had changed quite a bit since Hashirama had last seen him, what with his Rinnegan and Mokuton and all. They were now even more evenly matched, but as the Jinchuuriki of the Juubi, Madara had a bit more power. Which left Hashirama in the dust, even if not by all that far.

But it left him dull and uninteresting now that Madara had seen that he was currently stronger than Hashirama. And it left Madara anticipating the arrival of the last Uchiha on this earth that had yet to show his face. A grin curled itself on Madara's lips as he pictured that blank face and those determined Mangekyo Sharingan eyes glaring at him from across the battlefield. He couldn't wait to face Itachi. Their fight was going to be glorious, an event that will go into the history books as a battle that left even the moon bloody.

He was so deep in thought about the upcoming battle that will no doubt come as soon as Itachi arrived that he hadn't even noticed when Obito was suddenly taken over by Black Zetsu. He didn't see Black Zetsu sneak up on him and he didn't sense him right behind him until Black Zetsu moved to thrust a hand through his chest ...

But he did notice it all when an orange chakra sword stabbed through the left side of Obito's body and both host and parasite grunted in pain.

And then the battlefield echoed Black Zetsu's scream of pain, chilling the four reanimated Hokages and the five ninja hidden beneath a purple Susanoo to the bone.

00000

Sasuke had always known that the members of Team 7 were put on this earth just to annoy the living hell out of him. He had known it as soon as he had heard who his teammates were going to be. He had been reassured of it when he met his sensei. And with each and every day he had spent with them, they had proven him right. Although the companionship they gave him had always made it all more than worth it, until he left Konoha and those close bonds became a hindrance in his quest to kill Itachi and avenge his family. They became even more of a bother when he set off to avenge _Itachi_ and kill Danzo. They became downright bothersome after that. But after seeing his brother's life and realizing just how very little people had actually cared for his brother the way they should have, the way their _family_ and _village_ should have, Sasuke became aware of just how lucky he was to have friends like these.

That, of course, didn't stop them from being as annoying as all hell when they tried to act like strategists when they couldn't even see what was going on outside like he could.

Their situation was not something he had expected. He had expected some aggression towards him from Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi when he arrived at the battlefield. He knew he more than deserved it. All the shit he had put them through in the past four years altogether should have given them more than enough reason to hate him and shun him, yet instead they greeted him as though he had only been on a different part of the battlefield and had finally come back to join them here instead of at one time _actually_ being their _enemy_. He would forever be grateful for their forgiveness and acceptance of him, despite all of his sins, mistakes and misdeeds. Especially since no one else had exactly been very haply to see him, despite bringing so much help along with him. The four Hokages were quite the heavy hitters, after all, and a medic nin and an Uzumaki for their wounded were practically a godsend. He knew that Kabuto must have saved quite a few lives and Karin had saved the five Kages. And they had all been of great help against the Zetsu army.

But that hadn't stopped Sasuke and Naruto from dying, their great teamwork. It hadn't mattered. The Kyuubi had been extracted from Naruto and Madara had stabbed Sasuke through the heart. They had both died at the same time, only to find themselves in front of Otutsuki Hagoromo, the Rikudō Sennin himself. Their little talk was not something Sasuke had been expecting, nor had he been all that interested in it. He had long since felt Otsutsuki Indra's chakra pulsating within his own. It had been thanks, ironically enough, to Itachi once again. The second time Sasuke had fallen under his Tsukuyomi, something had ... awakened in him. The darkness that had overtaken Indra is what it was, something Sasuke would find out only after hearing the Otsutsuki brothers' stories.

But that's not what's important right now. What _is_ important at this point in time was the fact that the world is ending, their friends might be dying and Sasuke _still_ had no idea where Itachi was. So please do excuse him for trying to rush Hagoromo a little in his long speech and preach. He had somewhere else to be. Naruto did, too, but the blond was a little too drawn in by the old Sage's story. Still, Hagoromo realized that he was unnecessarily keeping them as he saw that they were once again ready to lay down their lives for each other, just like they had been when they were younger, so he imparted to them some of his powers and sent them back to the battle, reviving them. Sasuke got a Rinnegan in his left eye and an increase in chakra and Naruto got a whole new set of skills Sasuke was pretty sure were there to compliment his own so perfectly that they two as halves made a single whole that could rival Hagotomo himself.

As such, they gave Madara quite the fight. They could only do so thanks to Sakura and Kabuto and Sasuke had never been as grateful to his own mind for telling him to take Kabuto with him. They were even winning for a while, but then Madara had once again managed to get the upper hand and he had activated the Infinite Tsukuyomi and Sasuke had to close off Kisame and his old team inside his Susanoo if he wanted to keep them away from the effects of the dream Madara was forcing on everyone. Now, they were stuck like this in relatively close quarters and his old teammates were honestly getting on his last nerves as they tried to blindly strategize.

And then there was Kisame, perfectly content to just watch them squabble among themselves like little kids while he sar back and waited. Kisame had already reminded them three times that there was no way Madara was going to win, since the blue man was absolutely sure his partner will come and handle things on his own. Sasuke wanted to believe that, too, but Itachi was seriously taking too long. Sasuke had kind of thought his Nii-san would arrive and save him from death at the last moment, but Itachi had been a no show. It greatly worried him, that something or someone had actually managed to get to his brother. After all, no matter how good Itachi was, he was still only human. Despite what many apparently though, even he made mistakes. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder the same thing Madara was, whether Itachi had truly been snagged in the Tsukuyomi like the reat of the world or if he was as immune to it as Madara and Obito had feared and the Allience hoped. It would really suck for them if he ended up just as vulnerable to it as everyone else.

"So, what?" Naruto's loud voice brought Sasuke out of his musings. "We just sit here and wait for the moonlight to subside? That could take hours! We don't know if the Rinnegan can somehow keep the moon in the same place with its gravitational powers!"

"Huh. That never even occurred to me." Kakashi admitted with a worried frown, looking upwards in what would be the direction of the natural Earth's satellite they were discussing. "Naruto's right, though. If that turns out to be the case, we won't be able to just sit here. Not only does it drain Sasuke's chakra but that Tree will only end up getting stronger. It might end up being too late, if what Sasuke told us about this jutsu is true."

"If he received this information from Itachi-san, then it's definitely true." Kisame cut in before anyone else could question the validation of the information. "Itachi-san, as I've said before, had a knack for finding things out no one else would be able to. And he wouldn't lie to his brother," he ignored the awkward and pointed coughs he received at this and just rolled his eyes all all four Leaf shinobi. "About something like this that could very well endanger his life. Not to mention the lives of countless others."

"But how do we stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the Tree from stealing people's life energy and chakra?" The pink haired one in their group asked with a frown of worry, thought and confusion.

"I imagine ending the genjutsu will help." Kakashi suggested, rubbing his chin with a finger. "Maybe it won't free them from the Tree but at least it will allow them to wake up. That is, if they still have the energy for that. Another reason we can't wait for the moonlight to lessen."

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose. He wished Itachi had found out something more about the Infinite Tsukuyomi so this planning thing could have been easier. As it was, they were literally sitting ducks here, waiting for Madara to strike them down, too, which would only leave the reanimated four Hokages to stop Madara. And even if they _did_ somehow manage to take the ancient Uchiha down, would that end the genjutsu of this size and nature? Tsukuyomi wasn't easy to break and it was deadly. What about this Infinite Tsukuyomi. Madara was not as gentle and peace loving as Itachi is. He won't hesitate to suck everyone dry. But the memories Itachi shared with him suggested Madara _might_ not be aware of the side effect these dreams had on those who he captures ... Even Itachi hadn't been sure of that.

"I wonder if Kakashi-sensei would get caught by the genjutsu?" Naruto mused out loud and they all turned to him with arched eyebrows in question and he just shrugged. "Just wondering out loud."

"What makes you think that?" The jonin in question asked of his student and Naruto shrugged again, rather awkward.

"Well, you have two Sharingan eyes now, right?" Kakashi nodded, not seeing where this was going. "Isn't the Sharingan supposed to, you know, be immune to genjutsu? Especially if it's the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"This isn't your ordinary genjutsu, you idiot." Sasuke snapped at the blond, glaring. Naruto returned the glare with one of his own but even his glowing golden eyes weren't a match for one Sharingan eye and one Rinne-Sharingan eye. The two orbs, red and purple, were even more intimidating than they had been when they had first been the Mangekyo Sharingan a week or so ago. "Only Rinnegan users aren't stuck in it. Obviously even the Sharingan won't be enough."

"Does this mean Itachi-san won't be making it to help us, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked while worrying her lower lip, looking around the shield of Susanoo Sasuke had made to isolate them from the moon's light. And Sasuke honestly couldn't answer that question. Because he honestly didn't know. Itachi was perhaps now an even bigger mystery than he had been for his whole life. Sasuke had no idea what to think. His brother was now very different from the way he had been when they fought. Itachi hadn't shown him what had happened to him after he was revived but Sasuke knew there was a major difference. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had seen it. Itachi's chakra was slightly different. His _eyes_ were different. They were still Itachi's eyes but they were different. Itachi had felt ... _healthier_ when he saw him but a handful of hours previous to this conversation. His illness, undetectable as it had been before had still left a mark on his brother's chakra, was gone. Something had changed and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what it had been and if it would be enough to save Itachi from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

"It's a possibility, as much as I hate to say it." The youngest Uchiha said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know." Kisame said with a shrug, looking away from them all, frowning in thought. "Itachi-san was always able to see through illusions even without his Sharingan. He always said he can't afford to live in an illusion, so he faced the cruel reality, even in dreams." The blue man looked back at his companions, his voice bitter. "He literally destroyed any possibility of dreams in his sleep that could be fictional. He either dreamed of his memories as how they really were or he didn't dream at all. He doesn't allow himself to be stuck in an illusion. Chances are, even if he _does_ fall for this technique, he'll wake up pretty soon. No one can sleep through a nightmare that was actually reality."

"If we're lucky, he'll dream of something nightmarish." Sakura grumbled. "Even Itachi-san must have had some happy memories."

"I've seen Itachi-san have a nice dream only twice in the eight years I've known him, kid. The likeliness of it repeating right now ain't high." The Kiri nin said with a derisive snort, rising Sakura's hackles. It was, surprisingly enough, Naruto who answered.

"I'm not so sure. You know what they say about second times? There's always a third." The blond nodded sagely and the others thought about it, finding quite a bit of truth in the words. Things that happened twice _do_ tend to occur a third time. Sasuke fighting his brother, Naruto fighting Sasuke, Kakashi losing someone close to him, a Sannin dying or being on the verge of death, being caught in the Tsukuyomi ... Yep, it really did happen often.

Kisame didn't agree. At least, not in this matter. "I'm telling you, any minute now, Itachi-san will come and kick Madara's but and stop this whole thing and we can go home and rest after that." The others just ignored him, Sasuke attributing Kisame's words to a lover protecting his boyfriend's integrity, only for them all to jump hf a foot in the air when a bone chilling shriek echoed throughout the abandoned battlefield. They couldn't hold in shivers when they heard it and they all instinctively looked upwards, as though to see the source but the purple Susanoo blocked everyone but Sasuke's view and his eyes widened. The blue man noticed his expression, as did the others, and the four Konoha ninja turned to look at him in shock.

Kisame just grinned at him. "Told you so."


	13. Chapter 13

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Itachi was not surprised when the light of the moon suddenly turned blinding as he ran towards the battlefield, feeling a sense of deja vu as he ran past downed warriors towards the very place where he had first seen war. He was ready for the genjutsu and allowed his eyes to shift from his Sharingan to his Mangekyo Sharingan to the strange mix of the Mangekyo Sharingan with the Rinnegan as the light reached him. For a second, it started to take root in Itachi's mind, the lone utterly peaceful Uchiha seeing but a glimpse of a memory of his beat friend and his brother bickering in front of him about how he was definitely stronger than Shisui before his eyes tore through the illusion without mercy. The three sided windmill spun every now and again, discarding the Infinite Tsukuyomi's attempts to steal him up into its clutches with frightening - to others, who would perhaps watch this had they been awake - ease, the rings around his pupil glowing a faint purple as Itachi followed the pattern in the ground. It was one of the many roots of the Tree that had once been the Demonic Statue of the Outher Path and the Juubi. It was leading him to the source of the battle.

He wished he had finished his business earlier and that he had been able to come here before the Infinite Tsukuyomi had been activated, but he knew it would perhaps be for the best if he let Madara unknowingly set this trap for him. Itachi knew that his chances of getting Madara to stop trusting Zetsu were close to none, simply because that being had been with Madara for almost a century and the ancient Uchiha trusted it. But Madara didn't know a lot of things about Zetsu. His true loyalties being the deadliest thing he didn't know.

Itachi couldn't have even guessed at it had he not let his crow go out for a flight while he went to check on Sasuke just two years ago. Sasuke had been, surprisingly enough, out of one of Orochimaru's numerous lairs and had been training outside in the woods with his katana. It had not taken Itachi a second glance to recognize the Kusanagi. It was very similar to a physical, human manifestation of his Totsuka. He had watched, proud, as his brother skillfully practiced until he felt the familiar presence of his crow in the back of his mind. He had wondered what it had been about, since he had actually given the bird the chance to act like a normal animal for once, but he had accepted the images it was sending him. It was Zetsu, his White half wondering if they _had_ to talk to Otsutsuki-sama and the Black half telling him to stop whining. And he had been whining about the three human corpses, still freshly bathed in their own blood, that he didn't get to eat due to them being sacrifices for a jutsu that will allow Zetsu to talk with this Otsutsuki-sama.

Itachi had abandoned his place where he had been watching Sasuke and relocated to a safer place where he had been allowed to fall into a trance of sorts so he can focus on only the images his crow was showing him. That was how he had found out the truth behind the Plan of the Moon project, a truth not even Madara knew about. It was also the first time he heard Zetsu say they feared Itachi's eyes' potential and the possibility of them being able to make him immune to this Infinite Tsukuyomi since he had been born with a jutsu so similar to theirs. Itachi wasted no time in perfecting his Tsukuyomi after that, to the point that he could _trap himself_ into it, if only to practice getting out should he fall for the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He found that he could exit his technique as easily as he could exit any other genjutsu and it _wasn't_ because he was the caster. He simply had an interesting ability to see through all layers of illusions. His eyes truly could not be fooled.

However, he had known that would not be enough. How could it, when he might as well be facing a god - or a goddess, if Zetsu's plan worked out. He knew he would need some help. He had though Kisame, with his immense chakra reserves would be enough, but he had quickly come to realize that it wouldn't be of much help. Kisame's chakra was his own. The chakra of the biju was much more pure and a lot denser. Not to mention that his illness got even worse by that point and his eyes were all but blind. He had thought then for it to be best to simply leave some sort of instructions for Sasuke and let him have his eyes. Sasuke with Itachi's eyes would be able to see through all illusions. Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi shouldn't affect him, if he knew how to use Itachi's eyes. Sasuke would have become a hero.

But that didn't happen, thanks to Uzumaki Nagato, and Itachi had never been more grateful. It wasn't just Itachi's eyes that saw through these illusions, after all. His chakra, his mind, his very _soul_ was immune to them like no other. He didn't understand it but he wouldn't have realized it until he absorbed some of Kabuto's natural energy and saw how his own chakra rejected it so it would continue being immune to illusions. He could absorb chakra from other people but not from those using senjutsu. He _could_ , however, absorb wast amounts of natural energy on his own, the reason he was so late to the party, so to say. The natural energy _rushed into him_ of its own accord when he would sit down and focus on it. He didn't need the Preta Path's abilities for it. The energy actually did the work by itself, attracted to his chakra like a moth to a lantern's light. It came in such massive quantities that Itachi had almost been knocked out.

The results when he woke up were astounding. Itachi had never thought he would be able to do _that_ with his Susanoo! He spent half his trip towards the battlefield after that deep in thought about these new ... skills he had gotten. They will come in quite handy. Itachi knew Madara was the master of the Sharingan and the Susanoo, but this was something only Itachi could do and it was only thanks to Nagato, partially thanks to Kabuto and a lot of thanks to Shisui, too, that he had discovered this new jutsu. He thinks he has an appropriate name for it, too.

His lips become tight and his jaw hard set when he arrived at the war zone and he sees many, many corpses of ninjas from all of the Five Great Nations. In the middle of the battlefield stood the tall, proud Tree which was draining the dead's still living comrades of their life force, although judging from Madara's content expression, he really _didn't_ know about that little tidbit of information. Itachi could see four figures trying to cut down the cocoons that no doubt contained the shinobi of the Alliance but the Tree constantly kept snatching them back up. Itachi pushed aside the thoughts of the four supposedly dead Hokage (he has had enough of the Edo Tensei toast him a life time, thank you very much) and instead turned to look back at Madara, only to see what looked like Obito and Zetsu's black half combined jumping up towards where Madara was floating above the Tree and his eyes widened when he realized that it looked as though the Zetsu half was going to stab him in the back and no doubt all the way through with his bare hand.

Without much thought, Itachi used the Shunshin no Jutsu to arrive right behind Zetsu, just in time to activate his Susanoo and stab him through with his legendary blade. The shriek that followed all but deafened all three of the Uchihas but as Black Zetsu was sealed away inside the Totsuka's gourd and Obito fell backwards, Itachi caught his cousin and jumped back just in time to avoid Madara striking him with his new scepter. A pleased grin spread across the ancient Uchiha's face while Obito looked up in confusion to his younger cousin.

"So you've finally arrived, Itachi." Yes, Madara was definitely pleased, earning himself a disapproving glare from the prodigy. "Finally. I was getting sick of waiting." He gestured out towards the destroyed battlefield in a bored manner. "These guys sure as hell haven't given me much of a fight. I hope you can rectify that. Actually, I _know_ you can."

''Stop this nonsense, Madara.'' The ponytailed Uchiha said authoritatively, glaring at his ancestor. ''This is not peace. This is tyranny, only far more dangerous.''

''I also knew you would say that, Itachi.'' The Rinne-Sharingan user said, grinning at the younger. Finally, the moment he had been waiting for had arrived. It was time for him to get the fight he had wanted. ''I have been waiting for this almost as long as you have been in the Akatsuki. But before we fight,'' he lowered his feet to the ground so he was standing and facing Itachi squarely. He found great amusement in the fact that he was still taller than Itachi, even if only slightly. Like, one centimeter. Yet they have both been hailed as the geniuses of their time. Only Itachi remains undefeated. Madara had lost to Hashirama. But now ... Oh, how he longs to be the first to stain Itachi's cheek with defeat. ''I must ask you something.''

''And what might that be?''

''Why have you so savagely sealed away the manifestation of my will, Black Zetsu?'' Itachi actually had to snort at his ancestor's naivety. He had thought the man would have been able to sense that the being known as Black Zetsu has no origin in Madara, what with his Rinnegan. Itachi had only three or four powers of the Rinnegan yet he could sense Zetsu had absolutely no connection to Madara. Perhaps Madara is just so blinded by his thirst for power and to fulfill his dream of peace the way he sees it that he hadn't even realized it.

''Black Zetsu has never been loyal to you nor is he the manifestation of your will.'' The youngest Uchiha out in the open said, glaring at his ancestor when Madara made to interrupt him. He would not allow that. If he was asked something then he expected the questioner to shut up and listen when he answers. ''He is the creation of the first chakra user on this Earth, Otsutsuki Kaguya, who he had tried to just revive by using the chakra he collected from all of your Infinite Tsukuyomi victims. You would have become a transformed vessel for Otsutsuki Kaguya, who you might know better as the Rabbit Goddess from your time's children stories.'' He watched as those purple Rinnegan eyes widened as the truth sank in and Obito gaped in his younger cousin's hold, never having even guessed that their little story could have such a twist. ''Black Zetsu has been manipulating both the Senju and the Uchiha in hopes of either Clan will awaken the Rinnegan so they could do this. You have fallen right into their grasp. You would not have saved the world. You would have doomed it.''

''How do you even know this?'' Obito asked as Madara was a bit too overwhelmed by what he just heard. To be expected. He had spent a century planning this day and now he learned that all of his plans for eternal world peace would have ended in eternal damnation.

''I didn't know the last part, until I sealed Black Zetsu.'' Itachi replied, looking down at the man that had dared introduce himself to Itachi as Madara. Underestimating Itachi like that ... They would be having words if they all survived this. ''An interesting thing I found out not long ago. Anything and everyone I seal with the Totsuka blade transfers its knowledge to me, if I were to desire to access it. Like a book. I just need to open it.'' He looked back at the still shell shocked Madara, who couldn't believe what he was hearing. This waif of a child ... He had realized it before _him_?! ''But I have known for a few years now that Black Zetsu was not who he introduced himself as, to either the rest of the Akatsuki or to you and Madara.''

''I see.'' The Rinne-Sharingan user said with a chuckle, a hand rising to hold the right side of his face, covering his eye while his now white hair covered the other, leaving his expression a mystery to his descendants. ''So I've been betrayed. I've been _used_ , all along.'' The bitter chuckle rose to a roaring laugh, startling the cousins. ''Well, at least I can now safely use their plans to fulfill my own, thanks to you, Itachi!'' Said genius frowned, gently putting his cousin down and rising to his feet, preparing for the fight, his white cloak sweeping behind him in the wind. He didn't bother to remove his bangs from his face. ''But for my plan to be secure, I have to deal with you.''

''You will find me a formidable opponent, Madara.'' The younger one stated, bringing his hand up in the universal Leaf sign that a battle was about to begin. Madara snorted at the gesture but returned it, knowing that this was one opponent he would always respect. ''Whatever you know about me, you know only the sickly version. I am not an arrogant person, but I do not think this fight will end well for you.''

''That is not arrogance, my dear little prodigy.'' Madara said with a chuckle, observing Itachi and seeing that, indeed, this was not the little thirteen year old he had spied on when he entered that cave all those years ago, nor was he the young man who had went to fight his younger brother. Those two versions of Itachi were apparently long since dead and this new version that stood before him was what he might call Itachi at his prime. ''Arrogance would be saying that you will win this fight with a single blow. Arrogance would be saying that I could defeat you as easily as I have defeated the rest of these weaklings. Arrogance would be saying that fighting Hasirama was easy. Arrogance would be saying that Sasuke could defeat you. Arrogance would be saying that you could survive Amaterasu if it caught you. There are plenty more displays of arrogance. The one I like the most is you is that you had thought you could play with people's lives like with chess pieces.''

Itachi scowled at Madara's words, knowing they were true. ''It's true. I've been arrogant, thinking I could control everything, that I could set Sasuke on a path and expect him to follow blindly the road I've made for him, as though he were nothing but a puppet on my strings. That was perhaps my damnation. As was me thinking I could do everything on my own. But I've had friends and family and a lover who have been willing to pull me out of the hole I dug for myself even at the cost of their own lives, more than once. It is Kisame's Konan-san's, Nagato-kun's and Shisui's sacrifices that have made me realize who I am today. People love to call me perfect. But I am not. I am as human and as prone to mistakes as everyone else is. And so are you, Madara.''

The glare that was sent his way would have set him aflame with the Amaterasu had it been any more deadly. Madara had been trying to rail him up, hoping to receive Itachi's anger and rage, something no one had really seen before. Madara didn't want to face the little saint and martyr that Itachi has made out of himself. That Itachi would be calm and coll headed, something no other Uchiha could ever be. Fire ran through their blood yet Itachi was able to quell it. His blood would boil for a fight with excitement like any other Uchiha's, but Itachi would remain cool and impassive. It's what allowed him to always win, even when he had been sickly and had small chakra reserves. Because he can keep such a cool head all the time, he can observe the situation throughout the battle and find weaknesses in jutsus along the way before he uses those weaknesses against his opponents.

And against Madara, someone who loves letting himself be swept up by the rush of adrenaline during a battle, he was the worst possible opponent.

What irked him more than Itachi's calm was the fact that he was right. Neither he nor Madara were perfect but he was able to admit to it, accept it and move on while Madara clung to his old glory of only ever being defeated by Hashirama. To the glory of _before_ being defeated by Hashirama. He clung to arrogance just like the rest of their clan did and Madara wondered, for the briefest of seconds, if that had been his undoing. What was it that Itachi had once told Orochimaru, a year after he joined the Akatsuki? Ah, yes. Orochimaru's arrogance and greed were his weaknesses. He had attacked Itachi without knowing the then teenager's abilities and had ended up with his arm cut off.

Madara won't allow himself to make the same mistake. He will not rush in like Orochimaru had. He was going to prolong this as much as he could, enjoy every single second of their fight and study Itachi like a book. And when he defeats him, Itachi will be the crown jewel of his rule. He will use _Itachi_ to steer this jutsu back to what he wanted it to be. Itachi would have such a power, such _control_ over a genjutsu like the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He didn't know if Itachi's unique doujutsu was anyhow related to this genjutsu, but Tsukuyomi was Tsukuyomi and Itachi was its master. With Itachi under his control, the Infinite Tsukuyomi will be, too. And his Plan of the Moon will be a success. No more war and no more conflict. At least both he and Itachi will be reaching their goals.

Yes, Itachi should be grateful and honored that he will be the chess piece to bring about peace. The queen of the field, guarding Madara, the king.

It was with these thoughts and a rather feral grin that Madara lunged at Itachi, intent on making his dream a reality.


	14. Chapter 14

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Itachi was not caught off guard when his ancestor lunged and instead met him half way, a kunai in each hand, easily blocking Madara's scepter as they clashed. Madara had a feral grin on his face as they locked their weapons like this for a long minute, measuring their physical strength, before they both sprang apart, making identical hand seals as they fell back from each other.

''Katon: Gokakyo no Jutsu!'' The two giant fireballs met half way, the heat of both attacks actually catching the Tree and a few cocoons fell down, only for the Tree to catch them again. The two Uchihas paid it no mind, both running to the left of the fire they had started, once again making hand seals, but this time, they were different, not that they were bothering to decipher consciously which jutsu the other was preparing. Their Sharingan registered it for them, anyway.

''Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!''

''Suiton: Suiryū Sanrendan no Jutsu!'' The wave of fire was met with three giant dragons made of water, the steam the collision of such attacks blinding Madara for a second, a second that Itachi used to use the Sairento Kiringu to sneak up on him. Still, before he could deliver a deadly blow, Madara sensed him and turned around, meeting his kunai with a block of wood that grew from his palm and blocked the blade. When Itachi twisted around to slash at him with his other kunai, Madara jumped back, making a new set of hand seals.

''Katon: Ryūen Hōka no Jutsu!'' Itachi started running, dodging the dragon shaped fire projectiles heading straight for him, being careful not to let them land despite knowing that he could easily absorb them. He wanted to keep his new abilities a secret from Madara as long as he could so that he could use them to surprise the man. So instead he formed hand seals in the quick succession he had learned no one can follow for his next jutsu.

''Suiton: Kaisui Hōdan!'' Madara looked up when he felt chakra kneading right over his head, surprised to see a giant ball of water above him. He didn't even have the time to curse as it crashed down on him, but Madara wasn't going to let the attack get through, so he used his Rinnegan's abilities to absorb it. When the attack was entirely absorbed, he turned to look at Itachi with an impressed grin on his face.

''I am impressed with your mastery of water techniques, Itachi. After all, Uchihas are born with fire in their blood, yet you can so easily control water.''

''I thank you for the compliment, but I would like to remind you that while I normally don't use my Sharingan to copy techniques, it still sees, registers and memorizes them.'' Itachi replied, taking out his katana that was hidden by his cloak. Madara's eyes grew wider in delight and he strapped his new scepter onto his back, picking up his own katana that he had discarded nearby, excited at the prospect of once again clashing blades with a worthy opponent.

''One usually has to concentrate on doing that, but then again, you _are_ special.'' Madara said, getting into the proper stance and preparing for battle, studying Itachi as the ex ANBU did so, too. ''You could learn techniques by seeing them just once _without_ the Sharingan. You wouldn't need to concentrate much, not with your perception.'' He lunged again as soon as the words were out of his mouth and Itachi met him, easily blocking his first attack, whirling around and twisting his katana so that he forced Madara to step pass him, exposing the older Uchiha's side for a clear shot. Madara saw it from the corner of his ye and twisted himself so that his back was to the younger, Itachi's blade meeting Madara's scepter and stopping him from doing any damage before Madara jumped away, twisting in the air to face Itachi again, who was the one to lunge again, Madara meeting each of his swift blows with a just as quick defense.

Not that far away on the Tree and down bellow, Obito and the four Hokage watched the fight, the two Senju admittedly impressed with the fight Itachi was putting up for Madara while Hiruzen and Minato had somewhat proud and wondrous looks on their faces. This was the little boy they had each known as a child. To Minato, it was like a slap in the face how the little five year old he had last seen had grown up so powerful while Hiruzen felt like he had been punched in the gut as he watched, unable to prevent the need for Itachi to fight his own clansmen yet again.

''That must be Uchiha Itachi, the brother Sasuke told us about.'' Hashirama all but whispered, feeling that it would be a disrespect to the spectacle before them if he were to talk any louder. Not that he could. His breath was knocked out of him as he watched Itachi match Madara blow for blow, parrying the older Uchiha like no one's business with an ease that even he had to envy. Madara was no joke to fight against. Hashirama and many of his clansmen (who were not so lucky to escape the Uchiha's blade or fire) could testify to how tough of an opponent Madars can be. The long, wild haired Uchiha had only ever lost to Hashirama, only two times with most of their battles always being ties, and each of the wins Hashirama had fought so hard for had been close calls. Even Hashirama struggled to fight Madara. Itachi's ease with fighting Madara could be written down to him also possessing the Sharingan so they were both able to read each other's movements, but the Sharingan is useless without skill. And the younger battling Uchiha had _quite a bit_ of skill.

''He's talented.'' Tobirama begrudgingly admitted, unable to look away as Itachi forced Madara down against a Tree branch just for the ancient Uchiha to use his Wood Release to be able to sink into the wood and reappear behind Itachi, who me this sneak attack as though he had been expecting it. Something about the young man's awareness of his surroundings was strange to the Nidaime. He himself had extraordinary sensory skills, being able to identfy a person's clan just by sensing their chakra and he knew a sensory type could feel an enemy behind them, but Itachi was no sensory type. It's also something a born sensory type can feel. Yet some of Itachi's actions suggested he could perfectly well feel Madara.

Sarutobi let out a startled and bitter laugh, surprising his old mentors at the sound. ''That boy- no, that _man_ is perhaps the most talented shinobi I have ever met, a perfect ninja. And I knew you two and Minato, also a genius. And Kakashi and many, many more.'' Sandaime looked up to where Madara seemingly made a fatal blow to Itachi, only for that Itachi to burst into dozens of crows and reappear behind him and in two more places, all three lunging at Madara. Two were immediately destroyed but the crows succeeded in their mission and blinded Madara long enough for Itachi to rush him, pushing them both off of the Tree and hurtling down towards the ground. Itachi held on tight to his ancestor as they nose dived towards the earth, Madara unable to shake him off. Itachi suddenly took out some wire and wrapped it tightly around the elder before wrapping his own arms around Madara's waist and starting to spin them in the all too familiar Omote Renge.

The Hokage all winced as Madara slammed into the ground, head first and Itachi jumped away. ''That must have hurt.'' Minato observed as he joined the first three, observing as Itachi made the same hand sighs Madara had not so long ago and released a wave of fire on the ground where Madara had been, only for the fire to be absorbed. Madara stood up, only a bit worse for wear but otherwise perfectly fine, his immortality still all too clear. He might have become human again when he forced Nagato to revive him when he had revived everyone who had died in Pein's Assault on Konoha that day, quite a few months ago, but he had been first called back as an Edo Tensei summon, meaning that his body was immortal. He could only bleed now. That was the only real difference. That, and he wasn't dependent on the Edo Tensei summoner. He could feel pain but no mortal wound could kill him.

Itahi was disturbingly enough reminded of Hidan and his own immortality. Which meant he'd have to seal Madara. Or break the connection between him and the Juubi. Jinchuuriki of the Juubi or any other biju, a Jinchuuriki still dies when their biju is wrenched out of them.

Madara chuckled at his descendant, throughly impressed with the fight so far. Taijutsu, bukijutsu, kenjutsu, doujutsu, ninjutsu ... So far, he had yet to force Itachi to use his specialties such as genjutsu and shurikenjutsu, but the fight was still young. He had still managed to make him use his crows and Madara considered that a great win. His Karasu Bunshin were formidable substitutions. He had not been this excited since he had first used his perfect Susanoo against Konoha and Hashirama.

He suddenly had to dodge as several kunai flew his way, not at all surprised when they rounded back, Itachi's unique style of shurikenjutsu allowing him to control kunai without even touching them with small bursts of chakra placed into each of his weapons so he can control their trigonometry even after they were thrown. He never used it frequently before, since it had been a waste of his rather small chakra reserves, instead using other kunai or shuriken or ninja wire to do the bending, but now that he was healthy ... It would seem that Madara has finally gotten Itachi serious enough if he was going to use his shurikenjutsu to its 100% capacity, something very few had seen or experienced. Or lived to tell about it, for that matter. The older Uchiha grinned, feeling excitement going through him like the greatest high in his life as he used his Shinra Tensei to repel the weapons. He knew it would be useless to do anything else. Not when Itachi was directly controlling them. He turned around back to face Itachi and quickly made hand seals yet again, Itachi quick to follow him, knowing this can't be good.

"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!'' Madara released another wave of fire at Itachi, the younger Uchiha having made seals for a defensive barrier. Hidden behind the wall of flames, Itachi put away his katana, tension stiffening his body when he felt it, the black receiver. He growled under his breath and prepared his chakra, knowing that the Chibaku Tensei was forming right over his head. Itachi allowed his red Susanoo to form and grow ans grow until the full Susanoo stood around him, Itachi inside of the jewel on the ancient looking warrior's forehead. Just in time for him to use the chakra apparition to catch the meteor that Madara had made, the Susanoo not buckling but the ground under it cracking up. Still, Itachi alone had been able to stop it where Gaara and Onoki had failed, despite being Kage.

Madara grinned, glad his opponent could stop such an attack. But his grin turned feral as _two_ more Chibaku Tensei created meteors crashed down on top of the first one. _This_ , there was no way Itachi could survive. The red Susanoo _did_ buckle under the weight of these planet destroyers and Itachi hissed as his right eye bled under the strain. He quickly formed extra arms for his Susanoo, now six of them holding up the weight but it wouldn't be enough. Yet he had to stop this. If he didn't, Naruto-kun, Kakashi-san, Kisame, his little brother and that Sakura girl will all die when these three meteors hit the ground. Sasuke was _right down there_ , for Kami-sama's sake! All that stood between the purple Susanoo dome he had made and certain destruction was _Itachi and his Susanoo_. If Itachi fell, so did they, and if they died, the world was doomed.

 _'I guess I have no choice,'_ Itachi thought, feeling his chakra rise in him in a manner he had only practiced before but had never actually tested. A black orb formed in his outstretched hands and Itachi focused on putting quite a bit of destructive power before thinking. The best option would be if he sent it to the middle boulder. The collision of two different black receivers ought to cause a big enough shock wave of energy to utterly and completely destabilize the other two and make the meteors crumble to nothing more than dust and debris. Or a big explosion might take place. Either way, the three meteors will be destroyed and his brother and everyone under the purple Susanoo will remain safe. So Itachi sent the black receiver, seeing Madara's eyes widen in confusion and his mouth fall open in shock as the black receiver slammed into the middle boulder.

A second later, a great explosion with an impressive shock wave rattled the Tree, knocking Madara out of it and forcing Itachi to dissipate his Susanoo. Still, Itachi used Shunshin no Jutsu to appear over Madara, startling the Rinnegan user. The Tsukuyomi master gave him no time to recover and gathered a great deal of concentrated chakra in his right fist before slamming it right into Madara's gut, ten feet before they hit the ground. The force of the impact created a crater as big as the arena for the Chuunin Exams in Konoha, shaking the ground the four Hokage were standing on, making the five awake living shinobi wonder what the hell was going on outside of their little protective shell while Obito only watched with fascination this course of events. There was no _way_ anyone had survived an combo like that!

And yet Madara had, saving himself by forming his own dark blue Susanoo at the last second. Both he and Itachi were panting but Madara now had a half glare, hf excited look on his face. "You have the Rinnegan, too?"

"A gift of Pein," Itachi replied, no longer hiding the faint purple glow of the three rings within his red irises. Madara could see them, could _feel_ their power and ge wondered how he had not noticed before. Oh, this only made things even _more_ interesting. Someone who shared the same powers as him? That someone being _Itachi_?! He could not have asked for more. "When he revived me, he transfered some of his powers to me, insisting that I am the only one who can stop you. That only I can end this bloody cycle of war. And I intend to live up to his expectations."

"You must have exceeded them by now." The wild haired Uchiha replied with admiration. "But that won't save you. Not by a long shot. This attack has already greatly weakened you. How will you fight," the blue chakra around the white haired Uchiha grew and took shape, easily becoming a full body Susanoo, Madara's pride and joy. "When I do _this_?" The Susanoo drew out two swords and Itachi felt their power even from where he was standing. ''You're exhausted, Itachi. You know my Susanoo is superior. Not even your great chakra control can last you forever. Not even the powers Nagato gave you will save you. You're not a full fledged Rinnegan user. You should just give up.''

Itachi looked up at Madara with a bored look on his face. His red Susanoo just as easily spread around him but Itachi knew Madara was right. He couldn't stretch any amount of chakra reserves forever. But what Madara didn't know was that Itachi could now absorb chakra just like Madara can. The only problem with that would be that if he tried it with Madara, the other would win in their little tug of war for that energy. After all, Madara naturally had bigger chakra reserves than Itachi so it would be easier for him to tug back his own chakra if Itachi were to try and suck it out. It could even turn out for the worse with Madara taking his own chakra.

 _'It would seem I once again have no choice,'_ Itachi thought, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He allowed the foreign energy to start coursing through his body, wondering if Madara will even notice the change. He felt instantly better and stronger when the new energy gave his chakra a boost and he would have smiled at the calming feeling of it had he not sensed a shift in power on Madara's side of the battlefield.

He opened his eyes to see Madara and his blue Susanoo moving towards him, both blades raised and ready to strike him. Itachi moved to intercept him, moving away from his brother's and partner's location, materializing three Yasaka Magatama and firing them at Madara, who countered by repelling them with a strong wave of Shinra Tensei. That moment of distraction was enough for Itachi to quickly materialize his weapons of choice and the two Kusanagi met a Totsuka and a Yata Mirror, the two Uchiha meeting once again in a clash of wills and power.


	15. Chapter 15

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

Their weapons clashed, the Kusanagis pushing at the Totcuka and the Yata Mirror insistently but Itachi had recovered from his immense usage of chakra in their last round and was prepared to fight all over again, heaving little to no problems keeping Madara back. The older Uchiha grinned at this, pushing harder while materializing another arm to strike at Itachi's Susanoo from the side, only to find out that Itachi could materialize more than the Totsuka now. A red Kusanagi stopped his blue sword when he tried to blindside Itachi, the sword's owner's eyes glinting redder than the warrior that was protecting them. It was Itachi who attacked now, forming another arm for his Susanoo and slashing at Madara's other side, just for Madara to copy his movements, creating another armed arm to block the blow.

They were at a stalemate, both just pushing at each other, trying to see who will maintain their Susanoo longer, who will overpower the other in sheer might and chakra control. Had Itachi been anyone else, Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan (despite now being developed into the Rinnegan) would have allowed him the better control and stabilization of his Susanoo and Itachi would have been defeated. But Itachi was no one other than himself, which meant that his unique chakra control is more than enough to stabilize his Susanoo on the same level as Madara. And had Madara been anyone else, Itachi's sheer chakra control would have outdone them by now at the very least three times over. As it was, the sheer amount of chakra and experience Madara had on him kept Itachi from an easy victory where chakra control was concerned.

Both Uchiha knew they were evenly matched, even though one relied more on his chakra reserves while the other relied on his chakra control. Their skill level was matched through pure genius and their lifestyles, despite being separated by a century or so of time and being very different, have allowed them to gather the same amount of battle experience. They were both excellent strategists. Their fight could last days, if one of them didn't somehow get the upper hand over the other. Itachi knew this, Madara knew this. The watching Hokage suspected this. This fight was different from any fight fought before. It was Sharingan against Sharingan, Rinnegan against some strange version of it, Susanoo against Susanoo, Uchiha against Uchiha. It was two greatest geniuses of their clan clashing in an epic battle that would change the terrain if they were not careful. Itachi might not be as powerful as Hashirama due to his naturally lower chakra reserves, but that won't stop Madara from going all out on him and the younger Uchiha could still do quite a bit of damage. After all, they have yet to see everything Itachi can do. His attacks so far suggest that he has more up his sleeve than he's showing.

Madara decided to see if he could draw that something out, making his Susanoo push harder against Itachi's. After all, if he couldn't get Itachi to go all out, he'll be disappointed even if he wins. What he wants from Itachi is not an easy victory. It's a fight which's effects will last him an eternity. After all, he was still a person who really loves fighting. If he creates a world of peace that will last forever and no one ever fights anymore, he will get bored. So he wants one last fight that will get his adrenaline pumping through his system like no one's business at just the recollection of it. He had thought that it would be Hashirama who might give him a fight like that, but after managing to immobilize Hashirama long enough to suck out a great deal of his senjutsu chakra while the black receivers keep Hashirama pinned down. Hashirama is no doubt free now, but Madara had lost interest in him after such a feat had been achieved.

Instead, he had waited (im)patiently for the only other he wanted to fight to arrive and his fight with Itachi was a rush unlike he'd ever felt before. If this was the last fight he will ever fight, it had to be made worthwhile and Itachi was doing spectacularly in this aspect. He had met Madara blow for blow and kept springing surprises on him. The entire Shinbi Alliance hadn't been able to do this to him, the amount of energy he had spent on Itachi, the effort he put in this fight ...

Itachi didn't move much despite the amount of force Madara was putting upon him. The younger man barely moved a few meters back, his Susanoo steady, his grip on his chakra as iron like as his determination and will to win this fight. But Madara hadn't really expected this force to be enough to take Itachi down. It was a distraction as he created a dozen Yasaka Magatama infused with black receivers and accumulating chakra in them to make a Bijudama. Only a Jinchuuriki can do that and as the Jinchuuriki of the Juubi, Madara's Bijudama were particularly powerful.

It was time to see how Itachi will respond to this attack, especially since he can't move away. Madara's got him in a perfect position. Madara will be able to save himself from the destructive force of his attack by either sucking most of its effects that reach him back into his body as his own energy or by being protected by his Susanoo. He has the chakra reserves large enough to accept that much energy. Itachi won't be able to absorb enough of the impact even for his Susanoo to save him and his Yata Mirror - perhaps the only weapon in existence that could actually _fully repel_ a Bijudama of this magnitude - was otherwise occupied. It was a clear and definite checkmate.

Or it would have been, had this not been Itachi. Madara watched expectantly as he fired his overpowered Yasaka Magatama, just waiting to see what his opponent would do.

Everyone sensed the power behind the attack. Down, at the giant roots of the even more gigantic Tree, Obito's eyes widened as he saw the attack heading towards his cousin. Not that far away, the four Hokage cursed, seeing the strength of the attack. Minato could only stare in wide eyed fear as he realized the power Madara actually held. Tobirama was cursing their luck that their currently only living fighter that was immune to the Infinite Tsukuyomi was about to be taken out while Sarutobi worried about Itachi's fate. He had known the boy since he was but a child. He did not want to see his life extinguished right in front of his old and dead eyes. And Hashirama could only wonder how he himself would fare against that attack, recalling the power of the combined Bijudama and Yasaka Magatama from his last fight with Madara. Back then, he had barely stopped it. Now, it was infused by the powers of the Sage of Six Paths and the biju that had spat it out was the Juubi, who was stronger than the Kyuubi by the other eight bijus' powers.

In the dome almost below Itachi's feet, Sasuke's eyes were as wide as saucers, panic overtaking the boy as he saw and sensed the attack heading towards his older brother, dread filling the youngest Uchiha. Naruto, who could feel it even more accurately than Sasuke, was cursing up a storm, fear gripping him as well. Itachi was currently the only one who was fighting Madara, who stood a chance at deactivating the Infinite Tsukuyomi so their little group can leave the confines of Sasuke's Susanoo's protection so that they could all work on saving their friends and allies. If Itachi was taken down, all was lost. Kisame was near frantic sensing the danger his lover and partner was in. Samehada itched to absorb some of that energy and Kisame would have gladly thrown himself in front of it if it would save Itachi. He couldn't lose his partner again. He couldn't go through that one more time. Even Sakura and Kakashi, who had only average sensory skills, could feel the attack as it sailed towards Itachi.

Itachi didn't panic. He didn't even blink. He just let power wash over him, fire engulfing his Susanoo just as the dozen super powered Yasaka Magatama hit. The explosion that followed nearly destroyed the Tree, but the Tree was the Juubi so it won't be destroyed by its own power. Still, the reanimated Kage only survived due to the effects of the Edo Tensei and Sasuke had needed the help of Naruto's Truth Seeking Balls to keep his Susanoo up during the ensuing shock wave. Everyone who could see the fight between the two most powerful Uchiha ever looked on in dread to where Itachi used to stand, fearing for the worse. When the smoke and dust cleared ... Obito had to look away from the empty space that greeted them. Not even a pile of dust remained of his cousin. Sarutobi clenched his eyes shut and Hashirama's rage grew, preparing to go off and fight Madara again-

Only to be stopped when another three, red Yasaka Magatama flew at Madara's Susanoo, almost piercing his Susanoo due to them being covered with black flames. They all looked in every direction before seeing Itachi reappearing with the use of Shunshin no Jutsu right behind Madara, a pair of fiery wings on his Susanoo's back.

''Amaterasu!'' Madara turned around just in time to absorb the incoming attack of the unstoppable flames that were hotter than the sun but as such, he wasn't ready for the assault of all of Itachi's swords. He only managed to stop Totsuka before it could seal him but the Kusanagi swords all pierced his Susanoo's armor. Seeing that he had been overpowered in that moment, Madara quickly did a series of hand seals and jumped away, dispelling his Susanoo so he could move away.

''Katon: Gōenka!'' Kneading his chakra and then converting it to fire, the older Uchiha created a multitude of fireballs at the same time which then rain down on the target which would be causing severe to his opponent had Itachi not raised the Yata Mirror, absorbing the attack easily with its effects. In the interlude before he could attack Madara, the man had already reformed his Susanoo and they found themselves staring each other down from across the battlefield.

Madara was no longer grinning, although he was deeply impressed. This Susanoo feature ... he had not seen before. ''What have you got there, Itachi? Your Susanoo appears even more unique than it had been when you first created it!''

''This is Kagutsuchi, a technique made available to me and only me when Nagato-kun's powers that he had gifted me with combined with my own.'' Itachi replied coolly, letting his Susanoo stay afloat with its new wings. Its ability of flight will be a great advantage over Madara. Not to mention that it had proven even more powerful than he had thought it to be. Though, he guessed it had something to do with the nature energy coursing through him.

''There is already an Enton jutsu named the same, Itachi.'' Madara chided the younger Uchiha, who didn't look impressed at all. ''Yet it does not look anything like this.''

''I am perfectly aware of the other jutsu's existence, but it is ninjutsu and a doujutsu, using Amaterasu flames. This is pure Sharingan doujutsu, made for my eyes only.'' Itachi settled into a fighting stance, watching as Madara followed suit, both ready for a round two of their Susanoo clashes. This was getting ridiculous and they both realized it. They were almost evenly matched. Where one would get the advantage in one second, the other would change the pace of the battle to get their powers back in balance. The they would be the ones tipping the scales and the first one would change the pace to suit themselves more and they would come back to the starting point. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, doujutsu, you name it, they excelled in it and could easily twist things to suit their needs more. Shurikenjutsu was particularly useless since they were both protected by their Susanoos and had the powers of the Deva Path to repel any weapons thrown at them.

He was slowly starting to exhaust himself, Itachi knew. Keeping up the Susanoo was no easy task for a mortal man, especially one who had as small chakra reserves as Itachi was born with. Pein had enlarged them, yes, but he could still take only so much. Not to mention that it had barely been a month since he had died of an incurable illness that had ravaged his body to the point that death would have been mercy for years.

But the only way he could defeat Madara involved either sealing him away with Totsuka and then destroying the gourd or trapping him in his Tsukuyomi and making him release the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Or perhaps it would be best to make him severe his connection from the Juubi? The best Itachi could think of was that he ought to first and foremost find out how to end the Tsukuyomi himself if Madara won't do it on his own. It had a great deal to do with the full moon, something to be expected in autumn and winter times. He would need to somehow either block out the moon light from reaching the ground long enough for everyone to wake up or for Naruto and Sasuke to seal away Madara.

But Madara won't let that happen. And this fight's continuation was doing Itachi no favors. He still didn't have the best of stamina. He needed to find a way to finish this and quick! He won't be able to last the whole night.

 _'This seems to be the perfect time to use **it** ,'_ Itachi concluded, putting his hands together, intriguing Madara as to what he was planning. The series of hand seals he made was long and required a lot of natural energy, so he was no longer able to push it down or hide it. He had to allow the natural energy to rush into him like it seemed to long to do and he felt the change in his chakra instantly. Earlier, he had let only a small amount course through him, but this time, he was overflowing with it. It was needed. But it could not be hidden, not to the eyes or to the senses. Everyone could clearly feel how Itachi summoned up those great amounts of chakra that he got from natural energy.

''Did you know Itachi is a sage?'' Inside the protection of his Susanoo, Sasuke turned to ask an equally perplexed Kisame.

''I didn't even know he was interested in senjutsu!''

''What is he doing now?'' Tobirama asked of his older brother as they observed from a distance, their hairs standing on end as they felt that pull. No, it wasn't a pull. It was a _rush_! Natural energy was rushing into Itachi of its own free will. He wasn't actively collecting it. He was just accepting it.

''I've never felt a senjutsu like this.'' Minato commented, his own sensory abilities tickled by the amount of power leaving the earth to concentrate in the second youngest Uchiha.

Madara was on edge, observing the first Uchiha who had acquired senjutsu by themselves. Madara had gotten it by absorbing some of Hashirama's Cells and chakra, Obito got his when Zetsu infused him also with what appeared to be Hashirama's Cells and if Sasuke had any senjutsu abilities, it was from absorbing whatever Orochimaru had learned and now whatever the Sage of Six Paths had offered him. Itachi ...

Itachi had gotten inspired by Kabuto's sage abilities and had experimented.

This was the result.

Madara wasn't going to take things lightly anymore. Itachi had just become a danger to his plan, that is an even greater danger than he had previously been. The time for fun and games was over. Madara now had to fight for his plan to work. Whatever Itachi was doing right now could have disastrous effects on his Infinite Tsukuyomi and Madara won't allow that. He had had his fun. I was time he ended this, right here and now. It saddened him that Itachi would have to die. Had he lied a few years longer, Madara had no doubts he would far surpass him even in this supposedly unstoppable mode.

Madara made his Susnaoo weave three different hand seals with him simultaneously, summoning a large amount of chakra and preparing one of his strongest jutsus yet. Only he repeated the process five more times until the sky was nearly blackened by the three miniature planets that had appeared overhead. Madara then used the Mokuton he got from Hashirama's Cells to envelop his entire Susanoo in wood, giving it and himself extra protection. As a final stage of preparation, Madara drew on more chakra from the Juubi (and thus all the people stuck in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, only Madara didn't know that) strengthening his Susanoo and preparing his Rinnegan to absorb and repel as much of the damage that the jutsu would do to him once it hit. The Tree would survive, as would all those who were captured in its cocoons. For the little group protected by Sasuke, he could not have cared less. And the four Hokages were Edo Tensei, so they will be fine. They might even entertain Madara in the future every once in a while.

But Itachi's end was here.

''Tengai Shinsei!'' The six massive meteorites started descending with a frightening speed, but Madara's attack was too late. Itachi's hands settled in a final hand seal and his chakra burst out.

''Senpo: Fenikkusu Jōshō!''


	16. Chapter 16

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

 **(Note:** **Senpo: Fenikkusu Jōshō {Sage Art: Phoenix Rising} and** **Senpo:** **Reinbōkarasu - Jōshō {Sage Art: Rainbow Crow: Ascend} are my original jutsus** **)**

''Tengai Shinsei!'' The six massive meteorites started descending with a frightening speed, but Madara's attack was too late. Itachi's hands settled in a final hand seal and his chakra burst out.

''Senpo: Fenikkusu Jōshō!'' The fiery wings that Itachi's Susanoo now possessed suddenly enveloped the entire chakra apparition warrior and it rose upwards, towards the massive meteors coming crashing down. In its flight, the Susanoo suddenly started taking on a different shape, the wings changing it completely, Itachi forming a different image out of it. A shrieking cry echoed throughout the battlefield as the Susanoo turned into a fiery bird and it slammed straight into the first of the six meteorites. Madara stared in bafflement when suddenly, the mass of earth and stone started crumbling and turning to ashes, right there in the air until with another deafening cry, the phoenix, for it could not be mistaken for anything else, emerged triumphantly.

Itachi didn't stop there, however, and raced with his Susanoo-turned-phoenix at the other five meteorites, destroying them one by one, the phoenix continuing to cry out a war cry before it slammed into one of its targets and then a victory cry when it emerged, its target crumbling. It took Itachi less then two minutes to go through all six of the meteors and the dust and ashes that fell to the ground painted it almost black.

''W-what?'' Madara asked, too shocked to keep his surprise from showing. He had never seen anything like this before. The phoenix stopped not a hundred yards away from the blue wood-protected Susanoo its owner finally coming into view. Madara took a step back upon meeting Itachi's eyes.

They were still in the pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan, along with those faint, almost invisible glowing purple rings, but they have changed on the outside, so to say. That is, the sage markings have appeared. Itachi's eyes were now adorned first with what looked like khol, accenting his already long and thick eyelashes. And then like eye shadow in the form of flames, three colors framed those dangerous eyes. From top to bottom, there were three wisps of 'flames' in three different colors: white, then red and then purple, the three colors that represented the most intense heat in fire. The 'wisps of flames' sweep upwards, making Itachi's eyes stand out more than ever before and accenting his features, like the paleness of his skin and the unique beauty he possessed. No one had seen before sage markings in _four_ colors, if the black counted. Not even three! And what he had just done ...

" _What_ are you!?" The ancient Uchiha asked, truly scared now. He had never been scared before. Not even when fighting Hashirama.

Itachi cocked his head to the side. "I am Uchiha Itachi. _Akatsuki's_ and _Konoha's_ Uchiha Itachi. I am who I am, I am who I was and I am who I will always be."

"Have you known something like that was possible?" Sarutobi asked, turning to look at his two mentors, who were actually both gawking at the sight of what they had all just seen. Minato was looking a bit faint.

''I was unaware that there was a contract with such an animal as to give these powers to the contractor.'' Hashirama breathed, staring at the fiery bird with awe. ''The phoenix represents rebirth and immortality, an unbeatable bird that continually rises from it's own ashes, again and again. It represents an infinity of possibilities...''

''A _deadly_ infinity of possibilities,'' Tobirama interrupted with a grunt, observing and studying the transformed Susanoo. ''The ultimate defense has just been made an insurance of an eternal life.''

''Something Orochimaru would long for.'' The Sandaime realized and cursed under his breath, remembering the reports about Orochimaru's defection from Akatsuki, years back, from both their informants and from Itachi. Had Orochimaru realized the potential Itachi had for earning himself eternal life? A phoenix had to be more than just for show where natural energy was concerned.

''I don't think we've even seen the worst of it yet.'' Minato whispered, never letting his eyes stray from Itachi. He could sense the natural energy continuously pouring into the young man. And wasn't this strange? Itachi had been five when Minato died at twenty four. Now he was twenty one. His face had been in all the nations Bingo Books since before he was thirteen as one of the deadliest ANBU and he had been in there as a criminal since he was thirteen. He had been perhaps fourteen when he had faced his first biju, as opposed to Minato's twenty four. How could such a slim young man possess so much power? After all, he was fighting Madara alone and winning while they couldn't do almost any significant damage to the man. "I honestly thought there were only three sagehoods, though?" The question was directed at his three predecessors but Hiruzen could only shrug.

"That's not a separate sagehood, though." Hashirama answered, pointing at the second youngest Uchiha there. "That's actually natural energy being used in its purest form."

"What do you mean, Anija?" Tobirama question at the same time as he extended his chakra out towards the two fighting Uchiha. His eyes widened when he felt the chakra around the younger man. "But how is that possible?" He asked of the Shodaime.

"What is it?" Sandaime asked, worried by what his senseis were feeling and realizing.

"The Susanoo is a purely Uchiha technique, available to only those who master the Mangekyo Sharingan to the best of its potential," the long haired Hokage explained. "As such, it relies only on the user's own chakra. Any external chakra source is useless."

"Then what's this got to do with Itachi?"

"It's quite simple, Saru," the blue dressed man replied. "That Uchiha is using nature energy in his Susanoo."

"But didn't you just say-"

"Yes, Minato-kun." The first replied, cutting him off. "That's why we're so shocked. It should be impossible, yet Itachi-kun seems to be doing it anyway. He's somehow channeling natural energy through his body into his Susanoo. It is this natural energy that is allowing him to change his Susanoo like that."

"The Susanoo is already an incredibly powerful defense." Tobirama continued when Hashirama took a breath. "It is practically impenetrable and as such would have no problem cutting through those boulders. But that fire ... that's _pure_ natural energy. Add _that_ to a Susanoo and it becomes almost unstoppable."

"And I think you are right," the brunet Hokage turned to the blond, nodding his head to emphasize this agreement. "This is definitely not the worst, or best, that this form can do."

"It would seem Itachi-kun has far surpassed all the expectations we have so foolishly limited him with." The most aged of them said with a regretful sigh. "I have always regretted how Danzo had twisted his fate. The boy had a love for the village equal or perhaps even greater than my own. He only loved Sasuke more."

"Let us hope those two loves will be enough to defeat Madara." The younger Senju brother said gravely, turning back to observe the fight taking place between two of the most powerful Uchiha ever.

Said Uchiha were still just standing in front of each other, Itachi's Susanoo-turned phoenix hovering above the ground about two or three dozen meters. It was truly magnificent, how it had turned into that legendary bird from a human warrior. Its tail was long and swept behind it and its wingspan was wide, their arch very graceful. The only things that remained of the Susanoo was the armor plates on its chest and the big jewel in which Itachi stood on its head. Madara would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous. Here he was, possessing the power of the Six Path Sage himself yet he could not do what Itachi had done. The boy couldn't have had a month of training with these new powers and yet he used them so masterfully that no one would even _think_ he had no less than a lifetime of training. He attributed most of it on Itachi's incredible chakra control. How _else_ would he be able to completely mingle and intertwine his chakra with the natural energy that seemed to constantly pour into him? But Madara could see that, however powerful Itachi was, he had exhausted himself. Not just with fighting Madara, no. He had fought Shisui and Nagato first, then he had fought Kabuto and the long battle against Madara wasn't really helping. Itachi's chakra reserves were depleting and he had no place to absorb another's chakra. Natural energy can do only so much. Especially since it required the sage mode to be active. It was a strange thing, the sage mode. It was needed to use natural energy and yet you needed to collect Natural energy to get it. It was the reason Madara contended himself with never accruing a sage mode. He was powerful enough as it is.

But Itachi knew he won't be able to continue this fight for all that much longer. He was at his strength's end. He had very little of his own energy and chakra left and was now entirely running on natural energy. And keeping the sage mode was tiring him out, too. It won't be long now that he collapses. He had been dead for quite some time before he was revived and that had been barely a month ago. He was in no fit state to fight for as long as he had. He needed to end this, now, before his body - still recovering from death and _years_ of illness - gives out on him.

 _'Defeating Madara is out of the question for me,'_ he thought, observing with his eyes his opponent. Madara was still in all technicality a reanimation. Edo Tensei ensured the summoned soul's body never ran out of chakra. Madara could go on like this forever and Itachi knew he had no power to seal him away by himself. _'But Sasuke and Naruto-kun do.'_ Itachi thought as he looked down to where Team7 and his partner were, protected by his little brother's Susanoo. He could see them through that armor and he could tell just how powerful those two had gotten. But only Sasuke would be immune to the Infinite Tsukuyomi due to the Rinne-Sharingan the Sage of Six Paths had gifted him with. Yet Sasuke won't be enough. He hold only one half of the power needed to seal away the Infinite Tsukuyomi's caster. _'But is putting Madara in the same dimension as Otsutsuki Kaguya really such a smart idea?'_ No, it definitely wasn't. Madara still held traces of Indra's power. They could never know if that, combined with Kaguya's unexplored powers, would be enough to break the seal.

But even if there were some other way to defeat Madara with the power of the Sage of Six Paths - which Itachi didn't possess but his little brother and his little brother's best friend did - that won't matter much if Naruto-kun can't fight Madara with Sasuke. The Infinite Tsukuyomi must be dealt with first and it has to be Itachi who deals with it. He will leave Madara up to the two teens. He just has to make sure that they know not to seal him away. For that, he needs only a glance at either of the two, to meet their eyes and trap them in Tsukuyomi just long enough to ensure they know what not to do.

Hopefully, he will have enough energy to do so after the stunt he was about to pull.

It theory, it should work perfectly. It was inspired by an old myth he had once heard somewhere. Sure, it wasn't all that cold to go according to the myth only, but it was dark. _'Yes'_ , Itachi thought sarcastically. _'The blinding light of the moon for the Infinite Tsukuyomi was definitely making the world dark.'_ Kami-sama, his exhaustion was making it so he made no sense whatsoever. But still, this was moonlight. The light of the sun should chase away the dreams, like it did any other dawn. _'I guess Akatsuki (dawn)_ will _save the world.'_ He thought with a fond smile at the irony of it all. At least Nagato-kun and Konan-san will be pleased in the afterlife.

Madara arched an interested eyebrow when he saw Itachi put his hands together again. His slight fear had evaporated once he had felt the weasel's weakened state and was now once again replaced with excitement and plain curiosity. What was Itachi going to do now? There wasn't much he _could_ do.

But Itachi knew he could do one thing and he was going to give up the last of his chakra to do it. Hopefully, his newly recovered body will be up for the strain. The chakra he will have to pour into this will be massive enough to destroy the Infinite Tsukuyomi in one move. It had to be, or all else will be lost. He had not fought as hard as he had just to lose here.

So he ignored the pain that suddenly shot through his body, ignored the dizziness of the loss of chakra as he transfered it all into this one last technique. Natural energy rushed into him eagerly, despite him not trying to absorb any. He was grateful for that, at least, as he would have buckled under the chakra loss had he not had some extra energy. He felt the first tears of blood appearing in these new strange eyes of his and he coughed up a few splatters of blood. Thankfully, neither were the cause of some terminal illness or permanent blindness. It was just the strain of the jutsu this time around.

He couldn't see now, due to the blood in his eyes, but that didn't stop everyone else from seeing what was happening outside to his Susanoo. Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Obito and Madara and Sasuke from within his Susanoo watched as the phoenix shaped chakra apparition suddenly started changing once again. Its colors were no longer just of fire. An entire rainbow of colors appeared on its 'feathers' and the armor plates, its tail shortened and the shape of the bird changed subtly until Sasuke was able to linken its appearance to a colorful crow. It spread its wings and gave a melodious cry that seemed to sooth the very soul of anyone who heard it - and everyone heard it, be they inside the Susanoo Sasuke had eradicated around his team and his brother's partner or be they trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Itachi heard it, too, but he didn't have the time to admire this creation of his chakra.

Instead, he finished his series of hand seals and focused on the task at hand. ''Senpo: Reinbōkarasu - Jōshō!'' The rainbow colored crow gave another angelic cry and suddenly started to ascend at a frightening speed, disappearing from sight. Madara tensed, waiting for an attack from whatever direction the giant bird will appear from but his - and everyone else's - attention was drawn away by that melodious cry up overhead once again, only it suddenly transformed. It was no longer beautiful nor soothing. It was an ordinary sound one would very often hear, especially if they hang around Itachi for longer than five minutes. That beautiful voice of the rainbow crow had become the normal, scratchy sound of the regular crow, nothing special about it.

Except that the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi had suddenly dimmed. Another cry echoed form the skies and the moonlight dimmed further, startling Madara with every next cry as the moon shone less and less brightly. The four Hokage could only watch, none of them understanding what or how it was happening, only knowing that it was somehow deactivating the Infinite Tsukuyomi and that it had to have something to do with Itachi. The few clouds that had been in the sky cleared up and from them emerged another bird, this one bigger and far more intimidating. It was literally _burning_! It's eyes were the only thing left of any other color that wasn't pitch black and they were a fiery red. It was larger, _stronger_ than the previous two and it was burning with the black flames of Amaterasu. Another cry and a beam of _sunlight_ -like fire appeared in its beak, brightening up the night further. The awake shinobi _gawked_ as the Infinite Tsukuyomi grew weaker as the sunlight beamed at midnight.

The Tree suddenly started looking ill. Madara could do nothing as its brown color started darkening, resembling a dry shell of a tree as the night grew brighter. It apparently wasn't very fond of the light the black bird was emitting or the warmth that was hotter than the sun. What's more, the blackness of its 'feathers' absorbed the Infinite Tsukuyomi's light so that the only light that came through from the sky was from the Amaterasu-burning crow.

The eldest Uchiha turned his Rinnegan eyes on the giant black crow, wondering what the _hell_ was going on when he saw it. Three dots of red, on the bird's head. One was a little distanced from the other two but Madara would recognize that red glow _anywhere_. The Sharingan. Itachi and his crow. Of course, he thought bitterly. What else could it be? He should have expected a comeback like this. It was just Itachi's style. He had waited for the right moment to use his trump card.

In truth, though, Itachi was quite literally only winging it.

But the results were glorious. It had worked better than he had expected. He had feared that the fire he could now produce when mixing his fire nature chakra with natural energy won't be quite enough like the sun to chase away the moonlight. The Infinite Tsukuyomi was almost unnoticeable now but its effects still held strong. The people trapped in the cocoons were still dreaming. The illusion was still up. This would have been a problem had Itachi not used the jutsu that he had. The Infinite Tsukuyomi was now weak. Weaker than it has ever been before. And it was _vulnerable_ to someone of Itachi's mastery of genjutsu arts. He may not have the Rinne-Sharingan but his eyes were actually the closest to it that anyone will get without becoming the Juubi's Jinchuuriki or getting Otsutsuki Hagoromo's chakra. And it was enough.

With what remained of his energy, Itachi looked up towards the moon. He had just enough to take over the Infinite Tsukuyomi - it was _child's play_ for someone who naturally possessed the power to preform such a doujutsu in the first place - and to give Sasuke his message not to seal away Madara. So Itachi got down right to it, pouring most of his remaining chakra into his eyes, focusing his gaze on the moon with all the intensity he could manage.

"Tsukuyomi."

It took a moment, in which nothing happened, before the image on the moon shifted. Instead of the Rinne-Sharingan's three rows of three tomoe, there appeared a windmill image, like a shuriken with three tips almost, surrounded by three concentrated rings. The moon was still a bloody red but those thin rings were glowing a dull purple, even harder to notice on the pale surface of Earth's natural satellite than it was in the naturally dark eyes of the ponytailed Uchiha. And as soon as the image gave one lazy spin as it settled in its place, Itachi put his hands together and uttered just one word.

"Kai."

It was instantaneous. The black crow of Amaterasu flames gave one final cry before reverting into the rainbow crow, which then faded back into the phoenix. The legendary bird gave way to the Susanoo with a cry of its own and the red chakra apparition warrior landed heavily on the earth, shrinking back into just the ribcage as Itachi fell to the ground. At the same time, a chakra not unlike the wind swept over the lands, releasing the genjutsu and freeing the trapped people from the dreams they were forced into. It actually nearly knocked the Hokage over and Sasuke's Susanoo wavered down at the base of the Tree but it held strong. The light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi just ... vanished, not a second later and the flow of chakra around them settled into its normal patterns. Tobirama and Minato shared a look before starting off towards where Itachi was still falling towards the ground. They arrived just in time to catch the almost unconscious Uchiha.

But, in the end, it was still Sasuke that saved them by switching places with Tobirama using his new Rinne-Sharingan abilities, forming his purple Susanoo just in time to stop the stomping foot of an enraged Madara's dark blue Susanoo. The ancient Uchiha pushed harder but Sasuke was not yielding and was soon joined by Naruto, who was using his chakra hands to push at the blue foot. Itachi watched with bleary eyes, trying to tell the two boys to leave him be and fight Madara but he didn't have the strength left to do anything else other than to brokenly call out his little brother's name. His vision was completely black by the time Sasuke rushed over to his side to hear what the older had to say but he could still feel him. So Itachi looked in his general direction and hoped to Kami that he had the chakra to summon up the Tsukuyomi to show his brother what to do.

He fell into unconsciousness before he learned if he had by some miracle managed it, yet he still felt a familiar pair of rough hands take him out of Yondaime's grip before he knew no more.


	17. Chapter 17

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed** **inevitable** **death and what are the** **consequences** **?**

"I think he's waking up!" Were the first words Uchiha Itachi registered as he blearily blinked his eyes open, wincing when the light hit them and at the strong, unbearable pounding in his head. More voices and blurred figures registered in his brain while the genius tried futilely to get his bearings back together. He felt blessedly cool hands land on his feverish forehead and leaned into the soothing touch. "Come on, Itachi-kun. We know you're stronger than this. Time to wake up."

"'m awake," the Uchiha in question mumbled, his words slightly slurred but recognizable. And as they rolled off of his tongue, the world suddenly became all too sharp, making the genius wince again. It was too much stimuli after the oblivion he had first awoken to or the blurry world that had first met his eyes and he realized quickly why it was so unbearable and cursed his own stupidity. Drawing in his chakra towards his core and deactivating his eyes until the almost invisible purple rings were hidden in the dark depths of his black irises, Itachi felt he could breathe again and bear with the world.

The owner of the hand sighed in relief. "He's awake!" They called out towards someone to the side and murmurs of more relief followed, confusing the ponytailed Uchiha. He blinked several times before recognition of the face hovering over his finally hit and he moved to sit up. Hashirama was quick to gently hold the Uchiha down. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there!" The Shodaime said, gently pushing Itachi back to lay down. "You need to rest, Itachi-kun. You've utterly exhausted yourself and your chakra reserves are all but empty. You're recovering fine but you still need a few days before I'd recommend you to move around too much."

"What happened?" He asked in a slightly rasping voice, needing to know if his efforts had paid off. Everything is blurry since he activated the Senpo: Reinbōkarasu - Jōshō! and he didn't know what happened after it was done, either. All he knew was that he had utterly exhausted himself and that was it. What had happened to his brother and Naruto-kun - dear Kami, had they been exposed to the Infinite Tsukuyomi? - or to Madara ... He had no idea. And he didn't like being kept in the dark. "Sasuke-"

"I'm fine, Nii-san," Itachi immediately relaxed when he heard his little brother's voice, allowing himself to be forced down by Hashirama, who was healing the few wounds Itachi had gotten in his fights in the past forty eight hours. ''You, on the other hand-''

''I am fine, Sasuke. I know I am not injured, just tired.'' The prodigy replied with a small smile, looking up to his little brother who was now also kneeling by his side. His eyes flickered to the purple eye that was the Rinne-Sharingan, knowing it will take some getting used to, but his brother looked overall alright. A few scratches and bruises. Great for someone who had been stabbed through the chest by their own sword. ''So, how does it feel to die and come back to life?''

''Exhausting,'' both he and Naruto answered immediately and Itachi chuckled. ''We were dead for only a handful of minutes and I still want to sleep for a week before I move ever again.''

''Same here, dattebayo. I almost did, too, but I knew we had to deal with Madara so I stayed awake.'' The once again Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi answered, content to have his inhabitant back where he belonged.

At the mention of the ancient Uchiha's name, Itachi straightened up once again, this time ignoring all protests that he had to rest. ''Madara ... What happened to Madara?''

''Ending the Infinite Tsukuyomi allowed us to take down the God Tree and free the biju, which in turn nearly killed Madara.'' Minato replied somewhere from his left and black eyes turned to him. The blond waved at the slightly younger man with a small smile. He was just like Itachi remembered him from his early childhood, kind and gentle.

''Only nearly?''

''His revival as an Edo Tensei, his possession of my Cells and his Rinnegan absorption abilities have come in extremely handy in keeping him alive.'' Hashirama replied, moving in closer to the sitting up genius when it became clear Itachi was fine enough to move on his own already.

''And Anija doesn't allow us to kill him again,'' Tobirama grumbled as he walked over, squatting down in front of the Uchiha, studying him with critical red eyes. Itachi gave no reaction, just looking back at the Nidaime. ''You really are something, you know. I've seen many Uchiha but never one with quite the same features as yours.''

''I think I'll take that as a compliment, Nidaime-sama.''

''Tobirama will be fine.'' The white haired man replied. ''If anyone ought to be addressed with 'sama', it's you. Look at what you have done, Uchiha Itachi.'' He said, gesturing behind himself where the ninja of the Shinobi Alliance were slowly already putting their lives back together, greeting their comrades, treating wounds, celebrating their victory. ''You have singlehandedly brought about this victory. Sure, it was Sasuke and Naruto who have ended the battle, but it is _you_ who has set the battlefield for them.''

''Perhaps,'' the Uchiha conceded, eyes locking on to where his cousin was talking awkwardly with Kakashi, who looked downright overjoyed to have his friend back and alive. He could feel a headache coming on again as he thought of the talks he will have to have with both of those men. A thought occurred to him and he looked curiously at the reanimated Hokages. ''Why are you still here? No offense, but I would have thought that you would want to return to the afterlife as soon as possible.''

''We actually requested to get a chance to talk with you, Itachi.'' Hiruzen replied as he, too, walked over to join the conversation, eyes glued to the older of the Uchiha brothers. ''Above everything, we wanted to thank you for all that you have done for Konoh during your entire life.''

''There is nothing to thank me for.'' The Uchiha humbly replied, earning strange looks from Tobirama and his older brother. To be expected, as they have yet to meet a humble Uchiha. ''It was my duty and my pleasure to protect my home.''

''I also wanted to apologize for all the pain you have been put through for the sake of that same village.'' The Sandaime continued, determinedly meeting Itachi's gaze with his own. Those eyes were now more deadly than ever. Hiruzen had seen so with his own eyes and he hadn't realized just how much courage was required to meet them, even when they were not red until that very moment. ''I should have been a better Hokage and have stopped the coup d'tat long before you were forced to act on our behalf.''

Itachi shook his head, his face serious but blank. ''If you had interfered at any other point, Chiciue wouldn't have been able to repress the Clan and they would have engaged you in outright war. Chichiue didn't want there to be any meaningless fighting, which is why he had wanted to do the coup by managing to corner you, not kill you. Despite what Danzo thought, the Uchiha hadn't been looking forward to killing unless one of our own was killed first.''

The old man's eyes widened in horror and realization. ''Shisui-''

''Yes.'' The Uchiha heir replied firmly, not letting Hiruzen talk about his cousin's premature death. His encounter with Shisui was still raw and he had never gotten over his friend's death. He'd rather not talk about the night he got his Mangekyo Sharingan and all the grief that followed. ''Although I was the prime suspect of it, Shisui's death was a trigger. It changed the view of the Clan. They decided that Konoha had ordered me to do it and that I accepted just to get more power or something similar. I really have no idea what, exactly, had been going on in their heads. All I know is that the night Shisui had died was the night the coup could have ended. We had plans for him to use Kotoamatsukami on Chichiue and the others, but Danzo had destroyed those plans. So what followed could not be avoided.''

''Remind me to give Danzo a piece of my mind when we return to the afterlife,'' Tobirama told Hiruzen and master and student nodded in acknowledgment to each other. If Danzo wasn't such a douchebag, Itachi would have felt bad for him. He didn't, though. That man had killed Shisui. As far as Itachi was concerned, he hoped Nagato-kun found his father and told him what Danzo had been doing to his sons all these years. Fugaku was bound to make Danzo's afterlife an eternal hell. He wasn't called Kyōgan for nothing. Itachi wondered if he had inherited some of his sadistic tendencies in his genjutsu from him. He wonders if it was too sadistic of him to wish Danzo the wrath of his mother onto him. Now _that_ was something he wouldn't wish on even a man like Danzo.

''It would seem we owe you quite a bit, Itachi-kun.'' Hashirama said with a sigh, finishing up the last of the healing he could do. The rest would have to be done by Itachi himself. After all, Hashirama couldn't exactly bring his chakra reserves up. If Itachi wanted to recover properly, he will have to rest like the rest of them, as was per normal. ''Sasuke had already told us quite a bit about your situation and I must say that I was a bit eager to meet you, who has such a love for peace and Konoha, but I don't think I've quite grasped how big it is until this moment.''

''I never wanted anyone to know.'' The addressed replied, turning his head to meet Hashirama's eyes. ''I had to pretend that my love for the village wasn't bigger than my love for my Clan from a very young age. Actually, I have never felt particularly attached to my Clan and it wasn't just because of the coup, either. I never liked Clans. They limited a shinobi's capacity for ... _everything_. The Aburama isolate themselves, the Hyuuga put cursed seals on half of their family, the Inuzuka look at no other animals but their dogs for partners, the Uchiha allow themselves to become arrogant because of their visual prowess, the Yamanaka and the Nara focus only on their jutsus ... The list goes on and on, even for the Clans outside of our village. People judge others simply by their preconceptions, and judgment based on their appearance. Which is why it is so easy to make mistakes in regards to individuals of each Clan. Myself and Shisui, for instance. The Uchiha expected us to be like them while the villagers expected us to be like our clansmen. It is for this reason that we could see everything in the village. These prejudice against my Clan have helped me even in the Akatsuki. It helped me conceal my love for my village and my little brother. It made people think I was cold and arrogant like my deceased clansmen, never wondering why I killed them other than to gain more power or because I was bored. I must admit, Kakuzu was a bit harder to convince, since he had met many Uchiha and knew that you can't judge people so easily just based on their family name, but even he could not see beyond the stereotype of an Uchiha wanting more power. My secrets _kept themselves_ because of the whole clan system. A few words from me were more than enough to make it seem like the truth were the illusions I made.''

''You are very wise, Itachi.'' Tobirama stated. ''And very well versed in tricking others. You are everything that a shinobi should represent.'' Itachi nodded absentmindedly, eyes glued to a familiar blue form walking over to them. His heart sped up subtly t the sight of his lover, arguing with Orochimaru of all people over something that Itachi was sure he will make Kisame tell him later. ''Would you mind if I ask you something?''

Itachi blinked at the Nidaime, drawing his attention away from his approaching partner. ''You just did.'' Hashirama snickered and Tobirama glared. Itachi resisted a smirk while Sasuke didn't bother with it.

''You know, for a second there I had really doubted you were an Uchiha.'' The albino muttered and the ash haired young man snorted.

''I am far from perfect as opposed to what many seem to think me to be, Tobirama-san. I just learned to roll with it and not show otherwise. As I said: Do not judge others simply by their preconceptions, and judgment based on their appearance.''

''Fair enough.'' The Edo Tensei conceded with a nod. ''I wanted to ask you about your techniques ... I've never seen anything quite like them. Or your sage mode. How did you get such a sage mode? I've only ever known three animal based sage modes and Hashirama's strange Mokuton sage mode.''

Itachi blinked at Tobirama in slight confusion, he himself not sure how to respond to that. He didn't really know why he was able to become a sage and use such techniques so easily when he had never even thought of senjutsu training before. It was all the natural energy's fault. Even as they spoke, Itachi could feel it trying to rush into his body and mingle with his chakra. Itachi highly doubted this happened with all sages.

''Both of the techniques I used were made up on the spot, although I must make a guess that they were inspired by my pact with crows.''

''I don't understand. How can a contract with crows have anything to do with your sage mode and your techniques?''

''If you want Itachi-san to explain, at least wait for him to do it.'' Kisame grumbled, coming up behind the Uchiha and asking Hashirama politely to move over. The Shodaime quickly did so, coming to crouch beside his brother and get a better look at Itachi's face. Kisame ignored the stares (and the glares from a select few like Sasuke, Obito, Kakashi, Yamato, Tobirama (he hated how the shark had talked to him) and, surprisingly enough, Madara from where Orochimaru, Tsunade, Sakura and Kabuto were watching him) and wrapped his arms around his smaller partner, drawing Itachi to rest against his chest. The Uchiha instantly relaxed, gladly nudging closer to the warmth of the familiar strong chest and enjoying finally being in his lover's arms once again. till, he knew he had some explaining to do and he would have enough time with Kisame later to make up for all that they have missed. He had to play peacemaker again, since Tobirama looked ready to start an argument with Kisame and two suiton users of their skill would be disastrous if they broke out into a physical fight.

''It's not a contract, but a pact. I never signed any sealed scroll or anything.'' The prodigy replied calmly. ''Yet our bond is that of life and death.'' A single crow cawed, flying in circles in the new dawn. Itachi closed his eyes, feeling at ease. There was a calmness in the air around him, in the very fibers of nature that he could now feel. ''If it had not been for my crows, I would have died at the age of five.''

''What?!'' Everyone but Sasuke and Kisame yelled in confusion. Sasuke just took hold of his brother's hand while Kisame tightened his grip on his partner.

Itachi raised his free arm up and not a second later, his trusty crow landed there, blinking at its master. ''After the Third War, I was contemplating life and death. During the massive funeral, I saw Orochiamru and had a little chat with him, where he told me life had no meaning.'' Said Sannin suddenly found himself the center of the entire Alliance's glares. They felt like killing him, not only because he had said such a thing to a five year old kid but because it had nearly cost them this war, too. Where would they have been without Itachi? ''I contemplated it for a long while before I decided to jump off of a cliff. I would have died had this crow not called out for my attention, following me down as I fought gravity to save my own life. We have never been apart since, except when I put it into Naruto-kun so it would prevent Sasuke from destroying Konoha when I died.''

''You thought that far ahead?'' A confused Sakura asked, rather impressed if she was honest. She, like everyone else besides Kisame, Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, Sasuke and the group that had went to get the four Hokages, knew very few details about Itachi's true story but she knew this man had nearly died more than once for Konoha. She also knew of his unconditional love towards Sasuke, despite past appearances.

''I had no choice. The secret was never supposed to come to light. It would have died with me, since I knew Kisame won't go against my wishes and tell Sasuke and it would have been very counterproductive for Danzo to turn Sasuke's rage on to the village. An Uchiha's anger is not something you want directed at yourself, as I am sure Konoha more than knows.'' Madara smirked at the implications while Hashirama nodded and Tobirama rolled his eyes at the ancient Uchiha. ''It would have gone according to plan, too, had a _certain cousin of mine_ not decided to mess up with my carefully crafted plans of letting the Uchiha be the victims.'' Obito chuckled nervously under the glare Itachi leveled him with but said nothing, guilty as charged. ''And to make matters worse yet, Nagato-kun decided to bring me back to life.''

''That was probably for the best, actually.'' Kabuto said, drawing attention to himself. ''I know I would have gladly summoned Itachi-kun over there as a reanimation. Can anyone imagine the disaster that an Edo Tensei Uchiha Itachi would represent?''

''You'd be able to do that only over my dead body.'' Kisame coldly informed the snake sage, who just shrugged.

''I imagine I would have been used to summon that Kaguya back, then?'' Madara mused, looking at Itachi for conformation. After all, only he had been in Black Zetsu's head. It actually just occurred to Madara, a solution to all their problems. he didn't even wait for Itachi's nod when he turned to the four previous Hokage. ''Hey, can we make Itachi Hokage? That ought to end all wars.''

''You actually expect us to place an Uchiha as a Hokage after all that had just happened?'' An incredulous Tsunade bellowed at the ancient Uchiha, only to be ignored.

''And why would you suggest such a thing?'' Tobirama curiously asked while Hashirama watched in fascination how Itachi had gone as pale as a sheet at the thought of being saddled with the tittle of Hokage.

''I think Kakashi-san might be better for such a position.'' But the second youngest Uchiha was ignored, even by the silver haired man himself. Only Sasuke and Naruto snorted, trying to imagine their porn reading sensei in such a position of power.

''Well, aside from him obviously being the hero of this war, he had also glimpsed into everyone's hearts and minds when he Tsukuyomi-ed the Infinite Tsukuyomi.'' The wild haired Uhciha replied, earning himself arched eyebrows, obvious silent demands for a better, less Uchihasque explanation. After all, they didn't exactly understand the mechanisms behind Sharingan related jutsus, not really. Not even Tobirama and Hashirama. Madara rolled his eyes at them. ''Itachi told me that when he uses his Tsukuyomi, he can red the person's mind like an open book, if he wishes so.''

''The _Totsuka_ Sword, you imbecile!'' Itachi hissed, not at all liking how everyone looked at him scandalized. ''I said it was through the power of the Totsuka Sword and I hand't exactly sealed the Infinite Tsukuyomi and everyone in it with the blade!''

''I was under the impression that whoever is cut by your sword is trapped in a genjutsu world, yes?''

'' _Not_ in Tsukuyomi.'' Itachi immediately replied, seeing where Madara was going with these implications. ''It's a completely separate illusionary world.''

''Why didn't you seal Madara with it?'' A curious Minato questioned and Itachi almost groaned. Almost. He was still too polite for such an act.

''Because I can't seal him and the entirety of the Juubi. It's impossible. I'm not the Rikudō Sennin.''

''Forget them and answer my question about your sage mode, Itachi.'' Tobirama cut in before anyone else could ask the genius anything else, earning himself plenty of glares from the others.

''No. Don't ignore the issue, teme!'' Madara snapped, easily sidestepping his 'guards' and snatching the back of Tobirama's collar, dragging him to his feet so he can better glare at the albino. Not that it benefited him all that much. Actually, it was a bit funny, since he was shorter than Tobirama by an entire inch. Still, Madara was an Uchiha and his glare didn't need a hight advantage. It's just too bad that Tobirama was all too used to Uchiha glares. ''Even if Itachi hadn't looked into everyone's hearts - something I still doubt - he's obviously the best Hokage candidate! He's definitely better than that drunkard you call a grandniece!''

''No offense, Tsunade, but I do agree.'' Hashirama told his granddaughter, who was not fazed at all.

''Go ahead. I'm too old for the job, anyway.'' The Slug Princess replied casually, actually meaning it. She kind of just wanted to go back to either traveling, gambling and drinking or to being a medic nin in Konoha's hospital, drinking and gambling.

''I think we should actually ask Itachi what he thinks about all of this-''

Hiruzen was left unheard when Itachi and Obito jumped up to support their ancestor's arguments in favor of Itachi. Before anyone could blink, Naruto and Hashirama jumped in, too, half the time protecting the claims that Itachi would be a great Hokage and the rest of the time using to defuse any fights that might arise. It was funny how the three Uchiha didn't even give Tobirama the chance to express the fact that he _wouldn't mind_ Itachi being the Rokudaime Hokage and the origins of their argument was completely forgotten by the time the old Rookie Nina joined in on the argument, mostly berating Sasuke for all the things he had done in his life. Sarutobi sighed, knowing from experience this was going to last a while. Minato just rubbed the back of his head in confusion as he stared at the fight that kept getting bigger and bigger when Karin jumped in to protect Sasuke's honor and whatnot.

Itachi, meanwhile, just leaned back against his lover, enjoying the feeling of those strong arms encircling his waist and holding him close. Now, Kisame would usually have been the first one to jump to Itachi's rescue in things like this, since the Uchiha couldn't care less what people said about him, but he was far too content to just finally be able to hold his partner close again.

''I missed you, Itachi-san.'' He murmured into a pale ear, kissing the sensitive skin just below it, making the Uchiha shudder. A delicate yet deadly hand reached up behind Kisame's neck in a strange sort of hug, the ash colored head burying further under Kisame's chin in content.

''I missed you, too, Kisame.'' Itachi moved a bit, looking up at his partner through his long eyelashes with a beautiful and peaceful smile on his face. Kisame felt himself falling in love with the younger man all over again. He leaned down and captured those soft, pale lips with his own, enjoying finally being able to do that with not traces of the metallic taste of blood that had always been present in the last few months before Itachi's death. Itachi moaned against his mouth, moving closer to him still and Kisame held on tight, as if fearing Itachi would disappear again. Then again,seeing his track record so far, it was well warranted. And Itachi didn't mind the tight hold; it grounded him after all the strange things he'd been through in the last forty eight hours.

As they got lost in their own little world, ignoring their comrades bickering not a foot away, the new dawn of peace lit up the sky.


	18. Chapter 18

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed inevitable death and what are the consequences?**

''A little to the left, damn it!'' Sai yelled at a man hanging from the side of the Hokage Mountain not five months later, instructing the lapidary how and where to go and how exactly to do his job. ''No, not that deep! That line will be too deep! Hokage-sama isn't some old man, despite those lines!''

''Sorry, Sai-san.'' The man said, carefully continuing on with his work while Sai turned on another man, yelling different instructions about making sure the stone was smooth. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto, who were watching the ex-ROOT agent act like a normal person as opposed to his fake smiles and fake politeness with his obsession with penises, could only stare in wonder at the change he had went through. Naruto just shook his head, wondering when the world had gotten so strange.

''Five months of peace,'' Sakura murmured under her breath, drawing the attention of her teammates. ''It feels so unreal.''

''Yeah, as though the war had been going on just yesterday.'' Naruto conceded while Sasuke just grunted in agreement. ''At least everything is being rebuilt well.''

''Yeah?'' The kunoichi asked in interest and Naruto nodded with a grin.

''I talked to Gaara this morning. He says Suna is almost finished with their repairs. And Killer B and A are doing just fine, too.''

''Of course they are. They don't have hundreds upon hundreds of miles of forest to rebuild after all the attacks Konoha has suffered.'' Sasuke said with a snort, turning around to face said forests. ''Nor did they have the leader of the Akatsuki come to their villages and leave a giant crater behind for them to fix.''

''And I guess they didn't have Danzo as a drawback, either.'' The blond grunted, glaring off into the distance as he remembered the old man.

''They also didn't have to deal with a bickering Madara and Tobirama-sama, I imagine.'' The pink haired girl rolled her eyes and all three of them snorted, recalling just how much the above mentioned ancient men argued. Thankfully, the four Hokage will be leaving for the afterlife the next morning so that ought to calm Madara down a little. ''Still, the shinobi world is recovering well after the Fourth Great War.''

''And it's all thanks to our marvelous Rokudaime,'' the Jinchuuriki said with a happy grin, watching as Sasuke unconsciously puffed up his chest at the mention of the Rokudaime. ''I still can't believe he tried to turn down the position. He's born to be Hokage!''

''Already giving up your dream, usuratonkachi?'' Sasuke mocked, getting a glare from his best friend. The blond huffed, turning back to look at the sixth face being engraved into the giant rock formation before them.

''As if! I'm just saying that he was the best Hokage we could get right now and with Kakashi-sensei as his main advisor, Itachi-nii-chan is going to make Konoha the strongest it has ever been.''

''It probably helps that almost all of the biju are in Konoha again, what with them being what is keeping Madara and Obito alive.'' Sakura reminded and the two boys grunted, knowing she was right. ''Still can't believe Madara escaped death again.''

''Uchihas are very hard to kill.'' Sasuke said proudly and his teammates were kind and wise enough not to say 'Unless you're Itachi'. The massacre continued to be a touchy subject among all four Uchiha, so no one said anything about it. No one needed a raging Madara or even worse, the disappointed look they would get from Itachi if they tried to be mean or malicious towards anyone. It is fascinating what Itachi could convey with a single look and how much power t had over people. And no, they weren't even talking about the Sharingan.

''I still can't believe it has been five months.'' Sakura breathed again and Sasuke turned back around to look at the face of his brother that was slowly under construction looking more and more like the new Rokudaime.

''I still can't believe the punch you gave Madara.'' Naruto told her and she snorted. ''Or the Tsukuyomi Itachi-nii-chan still managed to preform after everything he's been through. He really _is_ as exceptional as Shisui-san said.''

''I'm actually glad you guys didn't kill or seal Madara away.'' The kunoichi said with a small smile. ''I believe he deserves a second chance, like everyone else. Have you seen him and Hashirama-sama this morning? I thought it was hilarious!''

''I don't think Madara-san shared your sentiments.'' A by now familiar voice said behind them and the three members of Team 7 turned to look at their sensei's sensei. Minato was grinning at them, his eyes gentle. ''He looked rather unhappy with how Hashirama-sama was hanging all over him.''

''Well, they _are_ leaving tomorrow.'' Sakura mused, knowing that as the day the four Hokage would be leaving was nearing that Hashirama had gotten more touchy-feelly with his best friend. Madara usually pretended to hate it but it was obvious he had missed their friendship. After a century of being enemies, they were friends once more and that camaraderie had both ancient men hesitant to leave each other's side, especially with the date of the four Hokages' departure so near.

Minato smiled sadly at his son and his friends. "Yes, I guess we are." Sakura flinched at the reminder that the older blond would be leaving, too, and felt bad for bringing it up but neither father nor son seemed to mind. "Any messages for the other side?"

"Say 'Hi' to Kaa-chan for me and tell her I love her, dattebayo." Naruto immediately answered. "And if you see Haku and Zabuza, be sure to tell them I wish I saw them this time around. And do find Ero-sennin and thank him for everything and tell him I never gave up and that my friend is back. And say 'Hi' to Nagato for me, too. And Asuma-sensei. And to Shisui-san. And kick Danzo's ass."

The Yondaime just laughed at his son's enthusiasm but promised to do as he was told. He looked at the other two teens expectantly. "You guys?"

"I'm sure you'll find him with his grandmother and the rest of the Akatsuki, so say 'Hi' to Sasori-san and Chiyo-baa-sama for me." Sakura said with a gentle smile, recalling the two puppet masters she had known for maybe two hours at most. "And to Ino's dad, too. And be sure to find Sai's brother. I'm not sure he'll approach you on his own but please do, Yondaime-sama."

Minato nodded at the kunoichi before turning to the youngest Uchiha. "What about you, Sasuke-kun?"

"Say 'Hi' to my relatives and tell Otou-san that when I finally die, I am going to kick his ass for all that he and the clan have put Nii-san through. And tell Danzo to sleep with one eye open because, dead or not, I _will_ find a way to kill him again." Sasuke said in all seriousness and the other three just sweat dropped at his Uchiha mannerisms. "And thank Uzumaki Nagato and Konan for all the kindness they have showed Itachi. And give my greetings to a man named Biwa Juuzo, he took care of Nii-san his first year in the Akatsuki. And ask Shisui to kill Danzo."

"I thought you wanted to do that?"

"He'd dead already. Any death he endures can only be temporary." A sickeningly scary grin that promised revenge split his face. "I'll use that technicality to make afterlife a hell for him."

"How are you related to someone as nice, kind, sweet and gentle as Itachi, I will never understand." The blond Hokage lamented but he guessed Danzo deserved whatever he had coming to him. Especially with Obito's request to him to inform the Uchihas just _what_ Itachi had been put through. Fugaku was going to lose his shit and with the help of Mikoto and no doubt Kushina and Shisui, the afterlife is bound to be one noisy and messy place in the following eternity.

Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders casually. "Itachi's just special that way."

"Did anyone else have messages to send?" Naruto asked more to stir away from that topic than anything else. Itachi's uniqueness usually brought up anger whenever it was mentioned, many supremely pissed that someone like him had been used and abused in such a way all because of his undying loyalty to his village and his exceptional skills. They very much loved their Rokudaime Hokage, Konoha did. Any scorn directed his way was met with general disapproval and rage on his part, lead by Team 7, Madara, Obito and Kisame.

"Tsunade is sending hers along Hashirama-sama and Sarutobi-sama, Kakashi is sending his with me for his father and for Rin, as is Obito, and their regards for Asuma are going along with Sarutobi-sama. Madara-san is, strangely enough, sending his brother his regards through Tobirama-sama and everyone else through me, since I was not at all involved in any conflict with the Uchiha."

"Then why Tobirama-sama?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Probably so Izuna would chase him away with blades and fire afterwards." Sasuke stated with a nod, completely confident in his guess.

"Anyone else?"

"Well, Kurenai, Konohamaru and Asuma's team are sending their wishes along Sandaime, Anko is sending her old teammates her greetings through me, Kisame-kun is sending greetings to his fellow Swordsman of the Mist through Nidaime and so on. Itachi is sending your clan his own well wishes, through all four of us." Minato replied, looking at his son's best friend. "He wants them to know that the Uchiha will never again be mistreated or isolated from the village, what with an Uchiha being a Hokage now. I think he wants them to realize their hostilities had been unneeded at best."

"He wants to show them they had been wrong." The spiky haired Uchiha confirmed with a nod. ''What's Nii-san doing now?''

''We just had a last meeting discussing all the ways things here in Konoha could change.'' Minato replied, thinking back on those conversations. ''Itachi seems to be of the mind to stop the cruelty during the second stage of the Chuunin Exams and it took him a while to convince Sarutobi-sama and Tobirama-sama that there were many unnecessary deaths during that stage of the Exams. Hashirama-sama and Madara-san happily stood on his side, since it had always been their dream to stop the deaths of young children dying so young.''

''Where did you fit in?'' Sasuke asked casually but Minato detected the warning in his voice. Sasuke still had some grievances against the village and the previous Hokage, even Tsunade who had very little to do with it all, but at least he didn't hate the Hokage post altogether like he had before. Of course, that may or may not have something to do with his precious Nii-san being a Hokage himself.

''I agreed that the needless killing should stop but I disagreed that the intensity of the test should lessen, so we made a compromise that everyone could agree to.'' The Edo Tensei in the group happily supplied. ''ANBU will be stationed all around the forest of death and set off warnings if someone tries to kill someone else. If they don't act accordingly, the ANBU will take them aside and put them under a sleeping jutsu for three hours, which should be a threat enough not to break the new rules since the Forest of Death challenge is timed and still very much hard to complete. And since the whole team will be put to sleep, it will slow their progress and develop better teamwork, to boot! And if anyone defies the rule more than three times, the ANBU will knock them out more than once.''

''But doesn't that kind of take away the purpose of the second test?'' Sakura asked in confusion, frowning as she thought over this new set of rules. Sure, it will definitely lessen the number of deaths but it won't test the true extent of skills in potential future chuunin, a dangerous possibility for the missions they will be sent out to do. ''After all, they will eventually need to learn to kill without getting cold feet.''

''I agree with Itachi on this one.'' Minato replied instantly. ''He, according to Sarutobi-sama, took this test on his own and never killed anyone, defeating them purely with his skills and intellect but never once shedding blood. Pacifist to the end, it would seem. Anyway, he said that above the ability to kill, a shinobi must learn the skill of controlling the urge to kill as bloodlust could easily lead a shinobi into madness. I can attest to that, as Jiraiya-sensei and Fugaku-san had stopped me once or twice each when I was young from descending into madness after the massacres my younger self used to make in the war. He says that it will force everyone to learn discipline and to follow orders, first and foremost, as there will be missions where discretion is top priority and no killing is allowed unless absolutely necessary. Kakashi agreed with him, probably something to do with their time in the ANBU and the secretive missions they took all the time. He also said that it will bring out the most skill in them. It is easier to defeat someone by killing them than doing it while keeping them alive. And such a set of skills will be more appreciated than any bloodbath they might present the instructors.''

''I guess I can see the logic in that.'' The kunoichi conceded and had to admit their new Hokage was truly brilliant. Developing a higher set of skills and morals in young ninja while saving lives and forcing them to learn to value life and follow orders. She wondered what their lives would have been like had Itachi been Hokage from the start. ''But the deaths won't be at a zero even with these new rules.''

''We're aware,'' the Yondaime agreed. ''The traps and poisonous animals and plants will still take any number of young lives but even that won't be nearly on the same level as before, as every fifth ninja that is watching over the exams will be a trained medic nin, something Itachi expects you, Tsunade-sama, Shizune-chan and Ino-san to help contribute to. You guys will teach new medic nins who will intervene when someone gets deathly injured and take them out of the exams and into a hospital. Kakashi thought up to name your squad the Rin Squad, which had Obito nearly bawling his eyes out. At least Kakashi didn't call him a crybaby this time around.''

''I can't believe I am related to any of them.'' Sasuke mumbled under his breath, getting a laugh out of his companions. Sasuke actually didn't mind. He was just happy people could still laugh like this. It meant Itachi's dream of true peace, of a world without conflict and useless wars was that much closer to becoming true. And as such, Sasuke's own dream was one step closer to completion; his dream to finally see his Nii-san happy and content. He believed Itachi at least deserved it. ''How's Orochimaru doing?''

''He seems content to be one of the advisors with Tsunade, but only time will tell. At least the fear Itachi had put into him keeps him in check.''

''That, or his curiosity of Itachi-nii-chan's skills.'' Naruto pointed out reasonably. It was a rarity for Orochimaru to be around the younger genius and not bug him about the natural energy that keeps rushing into him, as Itachi had once explained after his sage markings reappeared one too many times for people to ignore them outside of battle. It was rather rare to see the second youngest Uchiha without the markings shadowing his eyes since that day when he had first allowed the natural energy to rush into him. People only found him more beautiful or handsome with them and Kisame sure as hell enjoyed the new appearance, much to the other Uchihas' annoyance. Obito actually took up the habit of chasing the shark away from his younger cousin with Madara's gunbai when the man himself wasn't using it to bat away Hashirama for a while. That is, if Sasuke wasn't already chasing Kisame away with a Chidori. But the strange sage abilities Itachi got from the constant influx of natural energy baffled Orochimaru, Tobirama and Kabuto to no end, but only Orochimaru was still suicidal enough to annoy the hell out of the Uchiha and risk his relatives' and Kisame's wrath in doing so. Or Kakashi's. Or Yamato's. Yes, Team Ro was back together with Yamato as Kakashi's assistant and the two older men as Itachi's secret ANBU escorts. ''He wouldn't want Itachi to kick him out of Konoha before he could study them.''

''True, true.'' The boy's proud father nodded.

''So, what do you plan to do in the afterlife?'' The son asked curiously, tilting his head to the side like a curious fox. Minato gave a weary sigh.

''Hopefully, rest.'' He said. ''Play a few pranks, drink some sake or wine or whatever. Scold Fugaku-san, help him kick Danzo's ass and spend lots and lots of time with Kushina. She's going to be so jealous she couldn't spend more time with you, Naruto.''

''Sounds like as good a plan as any.'' The Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi said, feeling awkward suddenly. After all, how are you supposed to _not_ be awkward when you're talking with your dead father who you had only met before through a dream like state when the biju inhabiting your body had gone on a rampage after your seal almost broke about the fact that he had been an Edo Tensei for the past five months and that he was about to be dead again, only that he was going to at least go to the afterlife instead of the Shinigami's belly?

Minato must have sensed his discomfort, for he smiled at the younger blond. ''Your mother and I will still watch over you, so you have nothing to worry about. And no matter what you do from now on and to eternity, we will always love and support you unconditionally, even if we can't physically be there for you.''

''Tou-chan,'' Naruto said, tearing up as his friends patted him on the back with small smiles. Minato just watched this with a smile of his own before turning around to look at the sixth face slowly being engraved into the rock of the Hokage Mountain.

A new era was starting with the first Uchiha Hokage leading this new generation into it all. Perhaps the first Hokage who had earned his title more than any other Hokage before him for it had been five Hokages who had voted for him, not the Advisors and just one predecessor. Unlike the rest of them, Itachi won't die young as he had already died once for Konoha. His morals were unshakable, his resolve hardened through his years as a missing nin. He had seen all sides of the story, from every single angle, he had seen the darkness and the light of this world and he can see through every illusion. He won't make the same mistakes they had made, Minato knew that much. He won't let others make such decisions for him like Sandaime had allowed Danzo to do. He won't sacrifice a friend for the village like Shodaime had been forced to do. And he won't isolate any single clan or individual without giving them a chance like Nidaime had done. He won't overlook someone like Danzo just because they appear passive like the Godaime had done. He won't be a figurehead like the Yondaime had been. Itachi had seen all of their mistakes and he had learned from them all.

Konoha was entering its golden age and Minato couldn't help but think that there could be no better person to lead the village into it. Only time will tell if he was right.

''I said to the _left_!''


	19. Chapter 19

**Gift of Pein**

 **Summary: Itachi was Pein's and Konan's favorite, everyone knew that. He was the youngest Akatsuki ever, even if Deidara joined later. They see him as more than a member of their organization. So how far will Pein go to prevent Itachi's supposed inevitable death and what are the consequences?**

''So you guys are finally back,'' Uchiha Kagami called out to his sensei, smiling at the four Hokages as they made their reappearance - or first appearance for Sarutobi and Minato - in the afterlife. ''We thought you'd stay down there forever!''

Hiruzen smiled at his old friend, ignoring expertly how Kushina all but bulldozed Minato over when she saw her husband again after sixteen years apart. ''It is good to see you again, Kagami. It's been too long.''

''Ah, we'll have an eternity to make up for it.'' The cheerful Uchiha said, smiling even more brightly when his descendant, Shisui, anxiously hurried over to Hiruzen.

''How's Itachi? Is he okay? He hadn't ended up here, but you never know with him. Is he safe? Did he win?'' The Sandaime chuckled at the younger Uchiha's anxiety to learn of his best friend's fate, his mirth relaxing Shisui as he knew the old man wouldn't laugh if anything had happened to his cousin.

"Gather all the Uchihas around! We bring great news." Hashirama joyously called, spreading his arms and beaconing the stoic, pale skinned, dark haired people. Izuna approached first, glaring death at the elder Senju with blood red eyes. Fugaku, Mikoto and many other Uchiha followed his example, their Kekkei Genkai glowing even in the light of the afterlife. "Peace has finally been achieved! The rift between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan has finally been filled out! Horray for peace!"

"There is _no way_ Konoha and Uchiha have settled all scores!" An Uchiha yelled from the back of the crowd. "They've been shunning us for _years_! As long as there is anyone _Senju_ related or loyal, the Uchiha will forever be persecuted, shunned and disrespected!"

"Not under the new Hokage," Tobirama argued back, glaring at the back of the crowd, not at all unnerved by all the red eyes glaring at him and his brother. To be expected. They grew up with those powerful eyes glaring at them. "He has managed to bridge the gap between us and is in no way going to allow the rift to reappear. For the first time since our war ended, a true peace and harmony will take place under the leadership of the Rokudaime Hokage." He then turned to look at the death-glaring Uchiha Izuna with his Mangekyo Sharingan glowing threateningly at him. "Your brother says 'Hi' from the world of the living and sends his regrets that you won't see him for another sixty years as he doesn't plan on dying just yet."

Izuna snorted, uncrossing his arms and letting his eyes fade back to just the Sharingan but the red never left them. "Madara doesn't plan. _Anything_."

"He planned eighty years of world domination quite fine." Sarutobi said with a snort, getting a glare from all of the man's younger brothers. "Not that it helped him much. He still couldn't plan for Itachi."

It was Shisui who snorted this time, drawing attention to himself. " _No one_ can plan for Itachi. It's _impossible_. You can come up with a thousand ways to stop him from doing one thing and yet he'll still find a way to do it."

"At least that means Konoha will be in good hands." Hashirama chirped happily, not at all bothered by the hostility he was receiving from the majority - the Uchihas - of the crowd that had gathered upon their sudden appearance among the Uchiha, the Senju (who both kept close so they could agitate each other) and all those who had died in this whole war thing of the past year.

"What do you mean?" Fugaku asked, doing his best to ignore the purple Rinnegan eyes glaring at him from not all that far away, standing next to the only dead Sannin. He has no idea why Uzumaki Nagato or his kunoichi teammate hated him but those eyes were freaky even by Uchiha standards.

"Itachi-kun runs the village now!" The Shodaime informed them, never losing his grin. It would seem that patching up everything with Madara had put him in a permanently good mood. It would be endearing if it wasn't quite so annoying.

"WHAT!?" Danzo thundered over the other shocked exclamations, only Shisui had the presence of mind to cheer. Asuma looked at Hiruzen, asking his father if this was some kind of joke but Hiruzen only smiled in satisfaction. Fugaku was floundering for words, unsure what to make of all of this. His son ... Did what the Shodaime say what he _thinks_ he said?

"An Uchiha, running the village!? Unacceptable! Preposterous! It's downright sacrilegious!" The bandaged old man kept yelling, waving his cane around, disgust clear in his voice and on his face. "A _nukenin_ no less! A Clan Killer! What were you thinking!?"

"Well, we were thinking that someone who had stopped a war, even at the cost of his own family and clan, someone who hated conflict and just wanted peace was the perfect candidate for Rokudaime Hokage." Yondaime said with a chirp in his own voice but his aura was thick with killer intent, a very rare thing indeed.

"Not to mention Madara _likes_ and _listens_ to him." Tobirama added, although he sounded incredulous as he relied the 'listen' part. Izuna and all the Uchiha from their time period looked equally flabbergasted. Uchiha Madara listens to no one. No one except Uchiha Itachi, it would seem.

"And Orochimaru fears him." Sarutobi pointed out, just as unbelieving despite having seen it with his own eyes for the past five months. "The _entire shinobi world_ fears him." Jiraiya looked unbelieving, which is to be expected. He didn't know their history.

"And respects him." The God of Shinobi helpfully added. "His time in that Akatsuki organization did him good for his reputation. No one dares attack Konoha with him there, not to mention Madara, Obito and Sasuke."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Fugaku sputtered, calling for their attention. " _Itachi_ is the _Hokage_? My son Itachi? An _Uchiha_?"

"What's so strange about that?" Hashirama asked, cocking his head to the side. "Had Madara not left and then later attacked the village, _he_ would have been Nidaime."

"So Tsunade's no longer Hokage and Orochimaru is back in Konoha?" Jiraiya asked, somehow not seeming all that surprised. Actually, he wasn't. Nagato had kept him up to date with what he learned and Jiraiya knew that, between Naruto and Itachi, the world was in for some great changes. It would seem that they had just greatly underestimated the scale of such changes. "Itachi is _good_."

"The best damn Hokage Konoha could get." Shisui gleefully informed them, looking as though he were ready to start dancing around like a child. Well, he _was_ a child, still, having died at only nineteen or so. But he was still an Uchiha and held the urge in.

"Absolutely not!" Danzo once again protested. He was so angry he was almost red in the face. "A murderer of his own blood will _not_ be Hokage! Not that traitor!"

"That is _enough_ , Danzo!" Tobirama thundered, letting his chakra lash out, making all the ninja present tense up, every Uchiha that had the Mangekyo Sharingan instinctively activating it. Izuna even summoned up his Susanoo's ribcage, readying for battle. Only Kagami and Shisui remained impassive. "You will _not_ disrespect one of the bravest, most noble and honorable men I've _ever_ met! Especially not after what _you made him do_!"

The ROOT founder fell silent, his skin going as pale as his bandages, sweat gathering at his forehead. Fugaku stiffened, turning to look at the old man with murder in his eyes, his Mangekyo Sharingan's design spinning madly. " _What_ have you made my son _do_?"

"He ordered the massacre, Fugaku, threatening young Sasuke's life to make sure Itachi will go through with it." Sandaime grimly replied, glaring at his old friend, who could not look away from their old teacher. Tobirama's scowl could have chased the Shinigami away, what with how scary he looked. "He then blamed it all on Itachi and made him a missing nin. I admit I could have stopped at least Itachi from leaving the village but with what he had done, , he would not have been accepted back. Not when he wanted to be villainized and his clan be made the victims of his madness so that the Uchiha name will not be disgraced."

"They _should_ have been disgraced! They were traitors!"

" _You_ pushed them away! You _insisted_ on them being put at the edge of the village, isolated and under constant surveillance as though they have already committed a crime!" The two old men allowed their chakras to rise during their argument, further unsettling the gathered shinobi.

"WHAT?!" The thundering yell of, surprisingly (or maybe not. It _was_ about Itachi), Shisui cut their fight short, both of them flinching away as the furious genius stalked towards them. Before either could react, he Shundhined between them, taking hold of both of their shirts and drew them closer to his glaring face, his features twisted in an uncharacteristic snarl. "Just _what_ have you two _done_ to Itachi since my death?" He demanded maliciously, contemplating on showing them just how sadistic his _own_ genjutsu could be. It will never be on the level of Itachi's Tsukuyomi but it sure as hell could be _Hell_.

"I could gladly provide you with an answer," Nagato called out almost gleefully, knowing Shisui was as protective of Itachi as he himself and Konan were. The redhead was already cracking his knuckles, indicating he had been waiting for this moment for a _long_ time. Ever since he and Konan had realized what Itachi was actually doing in Akatsuki and that had been _years_ ago. It was finally time for Danzo to _pay_ for all the pain he had wrought upon the Uchiha he considered to be his own son in all but name. He enjoyed how the Shunshin user's Sharingan spun agitatedly, anger freely pouring into his chakra. Uchiha Shisui was not a hateful person and he was one of the rare Uchiha who didn't succumb to the clan's Curse of Hatred. For Itachi, though ... _That_ is a whole different story.

"Say your prayers, old man, because not even death will save you from _me_." The usually smiling Uchiha said, cracking his own knuckles as the Rinnegan user and his girlfriend came to stand beside him, soon joined by Mikoto. Itachi might have ended up being the one to end his life but a mother's love towards her child transcended all laws of common sense. In a blink, Minato, Hashirama and Tobirama had joined them as well, Izumi and Fugaku quick to follow. Kushina eagerly cracked her own fists and neck, having wanted to take a swing at Danzo for many, _many_ years herself. The final person to join their ranks was a tall brunet man with sharp teeth, a big sword and a black cloak with red clouds on it. Biwa Juzo did _not_ look happy that the kid he had spent a year watching over had been treated as such. Hiruzen just stepped away, not wanting to be caught in the fire that was about to no doubt follow, the Uchiha pun not intended.

Danzo gulped as he cursed Itachi to hell and back before his world was shrouded in pain.

00000

Uchiha Itachi sneezed suddenly as he was eating dango in his favorite tea shop with his favorite shark, startling the older man. Kisame frowned in worry at the young Hokage.

''Itachi-san, are you sure you're not sick? This is the fifteenth time you've sneezed since this morning!''

The genius only shook his head, not sure if his partner's worrying was endearing or annoying. ''I am perfectly fine, Kisame.''

''You could be sick again!''

''I am not coughing up blood.''

''Do you even know what the first symptoms of your disease had been?'' The blue man challenged, earning himself a glare from his partner.

''The natural energy is keeping me constantly healthy and I would have sensed a change in my chakra flow, _like the last time_.'' Kisame almost pouted at that, remembering what the then teen had told him when he finally shared the news of his illness with him at the age of sixteen. The very first symptom had indeed been abnormal depletions of Itachi's already small chakra reserves, which had once or twice resulted in the Uchiha falling unconscious without any warning. ''Besides, I knew this was going to happen as soon as we sent the four Hokage back to the afterlife.''

''Come again?'' The ex Kiri nin asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

''I am certain that they have been talking about the changes in Konoha for the past , well, decade, maybe more, maybe less, depending on who was doing the talking.'' The long haired one answered amicably. ''There was no was they weren't going to confront my clansmen and Danzo. And if Nagato-kun is around ... Well, at least Danzo is bound to curse my name a thousand times over.''

''People sneeze when someone is gossiping about them, Itachi-san, not cursing them.''

''Uchiha ways are different than most others.''

Kisame had nothing to say to that. ''You think Danzo is getting roached right about now?''

Itachi didn't even pause to think. ''No doubt about it. Shisui wouldn't let him run away. Now, whether the rest of my clan is doing the same is a mystery I would like to solve.''

''If he wasn't such a bastard, I would feel pity for him.''

''Ditto.''

They fell silent and just continued drinking their tea and eating their dango, enjoying just being by each other's side. Kisame still at times stole glances towards the Uchiha, fearing his partner would just disappear again and he'd be unable to protect him wherever he went. Uchiha Itachi didn't really need anyone's protection yet he still allowed Kisame to be his bodyguard for the shark's peace of mind.

Hoshigaki Kisame will forever be thankful to Uzumaki Nagato, the once Leader of Akatsuki, for bringing his Itachi-san back to life. That one gift of Pein had saved many lives and fulfilled Akatsuki's ultimate dream of world peace. Kisame was unsure as to what he would have done without his partner.

It's a good thing he will never have to find out, as Itachi-san wasn't going anywhere.

And all was right with the world.

OWARI


End file.
